Cargo distribution management system, palette management system, and computer-readable storage medium and program used for them

ABSTRACT

This invention provides a cargo distribution management system, a pallet management system, and a computer readable recording medium capable of facilitating reducing time required for distribution using containers by marine transport or the like, acquiring information for time reduction, and decreasing distribution cost. A cargo distribution management system program executed by a server computer  1  of the system includes storage means  102,  distribution status instruct means  103,  distribution status output means  104,  procedural document creation means  107,  container packing information generation means  108,  stock calculation means  109,  stock planning means  110,  distribution period calculation means  112,  pallet information storage means  121,  pallet information update means  122,  transport scheduling means  123,  and reference information transmission means  113.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a cargo distribution management systemand a pallet management system for use in storing a cargo that requiresa pallet in a container and distributing the cargo, and to a computerreadable recording medium, and to a program. More specifically, thepresent invention relates to a cargo distribution management system, apallet management system, a computer readable recording medium, and aprogram capable of facilitating shortening time required fordistribution by marine transport using a container, acquiringinformation for shortening time, reducing distribution cost, andallowing anybody to refer to the acquired information.

BACKGROUND ART

To transport heavy articles such as steel materials as cargoes by sea,an general cargo ship referred to as bulk ship has been often used. Ifthe heavy articles are transported by this bulk ship, they are carriedinto respective ship's holds separated by partition walls using a craneor the like and loaded thereinto while maintaining the equilibrium. Dueto this, it disadvantageously takes long time to conduct cargo work. Inaddition, in a cargo fixing operation referred to as “shoring”,“lashing” or the like, the articles are fixed by wood in largequantities in accordance with the type of the articles, which operationdisadvantageously requires much cost and long time.

Further, although each transport target article is protected by an ironplate or the like, it tends to be damaged by the cargo work, rocking,pitching and rolling on a voyage or the like. As shown in FIG. 19, sincethe cargoes are directly loaded into the ship's holds, they tend to beexposed to moisture and thereby rusted. Furthermore, the conventionalship is a non-regular service, ports of call are not fixed, adistribution period (also referred to as “lead time”) tends to beprolonged. Due to this, a cargo consignee side needs to secure andmanage stock in large quantities so as to be able to deal with theprolonged distribution period.

Besides, the loading and unloading of cargoes into and from theconventional ship are carried out outdoors. Due to this, on bad weathersuch as rain, the cargo work is sometimes suspended, which makes thedistribution period further prolonged. In addition, since one cargo isloaded and unloaded at one time using a crane or the like,loading/unloading operation time tends to be long as compared withloading/unloading operations carried out on a container basis.

Meanwhile, since container transport using a container transport ship isa regular service and requires a shorter distribution period, thistransport means has been considered for transport of heavy articles.However, it is difficult to load heavy articles into a dry container,which is the most popular and the easiest to use.

In addition, a special container such as a flat container or an open-topcontainer which facilitates loading is less popular and difficult toobtain as compared with the dry container. Since the special containeris low in airtightness, it is necessary to strictly pack such articlesas steel materials which tend to be corroded by moisture when thearticles are loaded into the special container. In addition, marinetransport of the special container is charged about 1.5 to 2 times ashigh as that of the dry container, so that the special container cannotbe easily utilized in view of cost efficiency.

Additionally, a cargo loading operation (referred to as “vanning”) forloading cargoes into a container (particularly, dry container) iscarried out manually because of the narrow interior of the container. Tofix a heavy cargo, in particular, it is necessary to do so manuallyusing wood in large quantities similarly to transport using the bulkcargo ship. For this reason, the container transport disadvantageouslyrequires high packing cost and long packing time. In addition, it isquite difficult to carry out the operation for loading heavy articlesinto the dry container, so that a rough operation method such as amethod by roughly moving articles from one side and pushing them intothe dry container has been used. Due to this, even if the dry containerwhich can ensure airtightness is available, the container transportdisadvantageously requires strict packing so as to resist rough handlingduring loading and unloading.

To overcome these disadvantages, there have been proposed pallets whichfacilitate loading and unloading heavy articles (see Japanese UnexaminedPatent Application Nos. 7-242237 (page 6, FIG. 7) and 11-342945 (pages 4to 6, FIG. 5)), a transport device and a transport method fortransporting articles in and out of a dry container (see JapaneseUnexamined Patent Application No. 11-349115 (pages 8 to 11, FIG. 31))and the like.

-   Patent document 1; Japanese Unexamined Patent Application No.    7-242237 (page 6, FIG. 7)-   Patent document 2; Japanese Unexamined Patent Application No.    11-342945 (pages 4 to 6, FIG. 5)-   Patent document 3; Japanese Unexamined Patent Application No.    11-349115 (pages 8 to 11, FIG. 31)-   Patent document 4; Japanese Unexamined Patent Application No.    2001-225911 (pages 2 to 5, FIG. 2)

However, pallets for transporting these heavy articles have higherstrength than ordinary pallets and are, therefore, more expensive. Torepeatedly use such pallets, it is necessary to properly manage them. Inaddition, heavy articles are transported in large quantities at one timeand they are carried while being contained in a plurality of containers.It is, therefore, preferable to manage the heavy articles so as tocorrectly deliver them to destinations.

Furthermore, in case of long-period, long-distance transport whichrequires several days to several weeks, arrival is sometimes delayed dueto the occurrence of a transport trouble caused by a long period sincean orderer places an order until a cargo actually arrives at theorderer. Due to this, a consignee side such as a factory needs to securesufficient stock, which disadvantageously pushes up cost includingstock-related interest. Nevertheless, a conventional distributionmanagement system has given no consideration to such prolonged transport(see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application No.2001-225911 (pages 2 to 5, FIG. 2)).

To improve consignee-side operation efficiency, it has been desired totransport only necessary cargoes at one time in a short period. However,no means have been prepared so far for providing data for shortening aperiod. Distribution industry, shipping companies, forwarders and thelike demand means for creating such data so as to be able to transportarticles in a short period. Further, while parties involved individuallyconstruct systems for managing operations, it is disadvantageouslynecessary to input various pieces of information to the respectivesystems again and manage the respective systems on their own.

In addition, to transport cargoes overseas, it is necessary to createdocuments necessary to be submitted to customs clearance and the like.Conventionally, however, the documents have been created by rewritingother documents or the like to the necessary document by hand. This islaborious work and the resultant document often includes mistakes.

Furthermore, it is necessary to return the pallet used so as not toentail cost (tariff, custody fee, etc.) for pallet continuance in placeand create documents to be submitted to the customs clearance withoutmistakes.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

The present invention has been achieved to solve the above-stateddisadvantages. It is an object of the present invention to provide acargo distribution management system, a pallet management system, acomputer readable recording medium, and a program capable offacilitating reducing time required for distribution using containers bymarine transport or the like, acquiring information for time reduction,and decreasing distribution cost.

The invention will now be described following

-   1. A cargo distribution management system for allowing a server    computer 1 to manage a cargo group 51, which is one of or both of a    loaded cargo 53 which is a pallet 55 loaded with a cargo 531 and the    pallet 55 unloaded with the cargo 531 and contains into a container    52, and distributing the cargo group 51 between distribution points    2 including a consignor 21, a vanning center 22, a devanning center    25, and a consignee 26, wherein

each of the distribution points 2 comprises a terminal 7, the terminal 7comprising a distribution status transmission means 101 for transmittingdistribution status information including at least identificationinformation for individually identifying the cargo group 51 and positioninformation on the distribution point 2, to the server computer 1 and

the server computer 1 comprises:

-   -   a storage means 102 that constitutes a database storing the        identification information and the distribution status        information;    -   a distribution status instruct means 103 for instructing the        storage means 102 to store the received identification        information and the distribution status information, and thereby        instructing the storage means 102 to update the distribution        status information stored in the storage means 102; and    -   a distribution status output means 104 for outputting a result        obtained by processing the distribution status information        stored in the storage means 102.

-   2. The cargo distribution management system according to 1 above,    wherein

said identification information further includes container packinginformation which includes at least a volume and a containing positionof said cargo group 51 in said container 52,

said server computer 1 further comprises a container packing informationgeneration means 108 for generating the container packing information sothat a gross weight and a position of a center of gravity of thecontainer 52 which contains the cargo group 51 fall within respectivepredetermined ranged, and

said one of or both of said loaded cargo 53 and said container 52comprise an identification information storage medium 54 which storessaid identification information.

-   3. The cargo distribution management system according to 2 above,    wherein

said identification information storage medium 54 is a two-dimensionalbarcode.

-   4. The cargo distribution management system according to 2 above,    wherein

said server computer 1 further comprises a procedural document creationmeans 107 for creating a procedural document necessary for distributionbased on said distribution status information stored in said storagemeans 102.

-   5. The cargo distribution management system according to 2 above,    wherein

said server computer 1 further comprises:

a distribution period calculation means 112 for calculating adistribution period of said cargo group 51 between said distributionpoints 2;

a stock calculation means 109 for calculating stock information of saidcargo 531 based on said distribution status information stored in saidstorage means 102, and for outputting the calculated stock information;and

a stock planning means 110 for creating a plan of supplying the cargo531 to the consignee 26 based on the stock information obtained by thestock calculation means 109 and said distribution period obtained bysaid distribution period calculation means 112 so that a stock quantityof said consignee 26 becomes constant, and wherein

said distribution period calculation means obtains a distributionprocessing period for each predetermined distribution processingelement, and calculates a sum of distribution processing periods as thedistribution period.

-   6. The cargo distribution management system according to 2 above,    wherein

said server computer 1 further comprises a reference informationtransmission means 113 for transmitting one of or both of saiddistribution status information stored in said storage means 102 and anoutput result of the distribution status output means 104 to a referenceterminal 7 connected to a communication network 6 in accordance with areference request signal transmitted from the reference terminal 7, and

said reference information transmission means 113 determines a referenceright of said reference terminal, and restricting a range in which saiddistribution status information can be referred to in accordance with aresult of the determination.

-   7. The cargo distribution management system according to 2 above,    wherein

said server computer 1 further comprises:

a pallet information storage means 121 for storing pallet informationincluding a use history and a present position of said pallet 55;

a pallet information update means 122 for updating the palletinformation stored in the pallet information storage means 121 based onsaid distribution status information output from said distributionstatus output means 104; and

a pallet supply means 106 for issuing an instruction to supply an emptypallet 552 that is said pallet 55 which is unloaded from one of saiddistribution points 2 which has the empty pallet 552 to one of thedistribution points 2 which needs the empty pallet 552 while referringto said pallet information stored in said pallet information storagemeans 121.

-   8. The cargo distribution management system according to 2 above,    comprising a pallet use fee charging means 124 for calculating and    charging a use fee for using said pallet 55 based on said    distribution status information output from said distribution status    output means 104.-   9. The cargo distribution management system according to 2 above,    wherein

said identification information storage medium 54 includes cargo detailsinformation of said loaded cargo 531.

-   10. The cargo distribution management system according to any one of    3 to 9 above, wherein

a transport path of said cargo includes a container ship transport path.

-   11. The cargo distribution management system according to 10 above,    wherein

said cargo is a heavy article.

-   12. A consignor-side cargo distribution management system used for    allowing a server computer 1 to manage a cargo group 51, which is    one of or both of a loaded cargo 53 which is a pallet 55 loaded with    cargo 531 and the pallet 55 unloaded with the cargo 531 and contains    into a container 52, and distributing the cargo group 51 between    distribution points 2 including a consignor 21, a vanning center 22,    a devanning center 25 of an export destination, and a consignee 26,    wherein

the server computer 1 comprises:

a storage means 102 constituting a database, for storing identificationinformation for individually identifying the cargo group 51 anddistribution status information including at least position informationon the distribution points 2;

-   -   a distribution status instruct means 103 for instructing the        storage means 102 to store the received identification        information and the distribution status information, and thereby        instructing the storage means 102 to update the distribution        status information stored in the storage means 102; and

a distribution status output means 104 for outputting a result obtainedby processing the distribution status information stored in the storagemeans 102.

-   13. A consignee-side cargo distribution management system used for    allowing a server computer 1 to manage a cargo group 51, which is    one of or both of a loaded cargo 53 which is a pallet 55 loaded with    cargo 531 and the pallet 55 unloaded with the cargo 531 and contains    into a container 52, and distributing the cargo group 51 between    distribution points 2 including a devanning center 25, a consignee    26, and a consignor 21 which imports the cargo to the consignee 26,    and a vanning center 22, wherein

the server computer 1 comprises:

a storage means 102 constituting a database, for storing identificationinformation for individually identifying the cargo group 51 anddistribution status information including at least position informationon the distribution points 2;

a distribution status instruct means 103 for instructing the storagemeans 102 to store the received identification information and thedistribution status information, and thereby instructing the storagemeans 102 to update the distribution status information stored in thestorage means 102; and

a distribution status output means 104 for outputting a result obtainedby processing the distribution status information stored in the storagemeans 102.

-   14. A pallet management system for allowing a server computer 1 to    manage a pallet 55 used to distribute a cargo 531 between    distribution points 2 including a consignor 21 and a consignee 26,    wherein

said server computer 1 comprises:

a pallet information storage means 121 for storing pallet informationincluding a use history and a present position of the pallet 55;

a pallet information update means 122 for updating the palletinformation stored in the pallet information storage means 121;

a pallet supply means 106 for issuing an instruction to supply an emptypallet 552 that is said pallet 55 which is unused and which is unloadedwith the cargo 531 from one of said distribution points 2 which has theempty pallet 552 to one of the distribution points 2 which needs thepallet 552 while referring to said pallet information stored in saidpallet information storage means 121; and

a pallet use fee charging means 124 for calculating and charging a usefee for using said pallet 552 based on said pallet information stored insaid pallet information storage means 121.

-   15. A computer readable recording medium storing a program for    allowing a computer to operate as the cargo distribution management    system according to any one of 1, 12 and 13 above.-   16. A computer readable recording medium storing a program for    allowing a computer to operate as the pallet management system    according to 14 above.-   17. A program for allowing a computer to operate as the cargo    distribution management system according to any one of 1, 12, and 13    above.-   18. A program for allowing a computer to operate as the cargo    distribution management system according to 14 above.-   19. A cargo distribution management system for allowing a server    computer 1 to manage a cargo group 51 including the cargo 531 and    contains into a container 52, and distributing the cargo group 51    between distribution points 2 including a consignor 21, a vanning    center 22, a devanning center 25, and a consignee 26, wherein

each of the distribution points 2 comprises a terminal 7, the terminal 7comprising a distribution status transmission means 101 for transmittingdistribution status information including at least identificationinformation for individually identifying the cargo group 51 and positioninformation on the distribution point 2, to the server computer 1 and

the server computer 1 comprises:

-   -   a storage means 102 that constitutes a database storing the        identification information and the distribution status        information;    -   a distribution status instruct means 103 for instructing the        storage means 102 to store the received identification        information and the distribution status information, and thereby        instructing the storage means 102 to update the distribution        status information stored in the storage means 102;    -   a distribution status output means 104 for outputting a result        obtained by processing the distribution status information        stored in the storage means 102; and    -   a distribution period calculation means 112 for calculating a        distribution period of said cargo group 51 between said        distribution points 2, and wherein

said distribution period calculation means obtains a distributionprocessing period for each predetermined distribution processingelement, and calculates a sum of distribution processing periods as thedistribution period.

-   20. The cargo distribution management system according to 19 above,    wherein

said server computer 1 further comprises:

a stock calculation means 109 for calculating stock information of saidcargo 531 based on said distribution status information stored in saidstorage means 102, and for outputting the calculated stock information;and

a stock planning means 110 for creating a plan of supplying the cargo531 to the consignee 26 based on the stock information obtained by thestock calculation means 109 and said distribution period obtained bysaid distribution period calculation means 112 so that a stock quantityof said consignee 26 becomes constant.

-   21. A consignor-side cargo distribution management system used for    allowing a server computer 1 to manage a cargo group 51 including    cargo 531 and contains into a container 52, and distributing the    cargo group 51 between distribution points 2 including a consignor    21, a vanning center 22, a devanning center 25 of an export    destination, and a consignee 26, wherein

the server computer 1 comprises:

-   -   a storage means 102 constituting a database, for storing        identification information for individually identifying the        cargo group 51 and distribution status information including at        least position information on the distribution points 2;    -   a distribution status instruct means 103 for instructing the        storage means 102 to store the received identification        information and the distribution status information, and thereby        instructing the storage means 102 to update the distribution        status information stored in the storage means 102;    -   a distribution status output means 104 for outputting a result        obtained by processing the distribution status information        stored in the storage means 102; and    -   a distribution period calculation means 112 for calculating a        distribution period of said cargo group 51 between said        distribution points 2.

-   22. A consignee-side cargo distribution management system for    allowing a server computer 1 to manage a cargo group 51 including    the cargo 531 and contains into a container 52, and distributing the    cargo group 51 between distribution points 2 including a devanning    center 25, a consignee 26, and a consignor 21 which imports the    cargo to the consignee 26, and a vanning center 22, wherein

the server computer 1 comprises:

a storage means 102 constituting a database, for storing identificationinformation for individually identifying the cargo group 51 anddistribution status information including at least position informationon the distribution points 2;

a distribution status instruct means 103 for instructing the storagemeans 102 to store the received identification information and thedistribution status information, and thereby instructing the storagemeans 102 to update the distribution status information stored in thestorage means 102;

a distribution status output means 104 for outputting a result obtainedby processing the distribution status information stored in the storagemeans 102; and

a distribution period calculation means 112 for calculating adistribution period of said cargo group 51 between said distributionpoints 2.

-   23. A computer readable recording medium storing a program for    allowing a computer to operate as the cargo distribution management    system according to any one of 19, 21 and 22 above.-   24. A program for allowing a computer to operate as the cargo    distribution management system according to any one of 19, 21, and    22 above.

According to the cargo distribution management system of the presentinvention, each cargo group is allocated identification information soas to be able to grasp the distribution position of the cargo group.Therefore, it is possible to acquire information for appropriatedistribution management.

Container packing information for well-balanced vanning in a containercan be generated using the identification information. This facilitatespreparing cargo group vanning.

By providing the identification information storage medium which storesdetails of the identification information in each of the cargo group andthe container, distribution error and the like can be prevented. Inaddition, by using the two-dimensional barcode as the identificationinformation storage medium, it is possible to refer to theidentification information and perform high-level processing even at adistribution point where the communication network is in a bad conditionor the cargo does not arrive yet.

By providing the procedural document creation means, documents necessaryfor customs clearance and the like can be simultaneously created, anerror caused by transcription can be prevented, and document creationlabor can be saved.

By providing the distribution period calculation means, a period inwhich the cargo group is transported between the distribution points canbe individually calculated and information necessary to improve thedistribution period can be acquired.

The use of this information enables a reduction in the stock of theconsignee and the reduction of the distribution period enables areduction in distribution cost.

Further, it is possible to reduce the stock of the consignee by usingthis information and reduce a distribution cost by shortening thedistribution period. If a distribution processing period is obtained foreach distribution processing element, it is possible to easily obtainthe distribution period even with a plurality of distribution paths.

By providing the stock planning means, a cargo group forwarding planwhich can keep the quantity of stock of the consignee to be appropriatecan be made.

Since the number of days required for the distribution can be easilygrasped, a shipping volume can be adjusted according to the stock statusof the consignee. This thereby facilitates keeping the quantity of stockof the consignee minimum, facilitates managing the stock, and scalesdown a warehouse which stores the stock, thereby making it possible toreduce cost for warehouse management, land cost and the like.

By providing the reference information transmission means, the productdetails and present position of the cargo group can be grasped and adistribution status can be easily grasped. Further, the authenticationmeans can restrict terminals and distribution points to be used,restrict referable discrimination position at each distribution point,and facilitate providing the system of the present invention and thelike.

Further, by individually storing the present position and use history ofeach pallet, the pallet can be appropriately managed. This can preventdamage, delay and the like of the pallet. By providing the pallet supplymeans, a pallet operating rate can be increased. By providing the palletuse fee charging means, an accounting processing can be performedaccording to the distribution status of the cargo group.

By using cargo detail information in the identification informationstorage medium, the check and the like of a forwarding content can beconducted while referring to cargo details even at a distribution pointwhere the communication network is in a bad condition or the cargo doesnot arrive yet.

In addition, the present invention can be suitably applied to marinetransport using a container ship. The present invention can be alsosuitably applied to heavy article transport.

The pallet management system of the present invention can appropriatelymanage each pallet by individually storing the present position and usehistory of the pallet. This can prevent damage, delay and the like ofthe pallet. Further, by providing the pallet supply means, a palletoperating rate can be increased. By providing the pallet use feecharging means, an accounting processing can be performed according tothe distribution status of the cargo group.

The computer readable recording medium for actuating the cargodistribution management system of the present invention can actuate thecargo distribution management system that exhibits the above-statedadvantages.

Moreover, the computer readable recording medium for actuating thepallet management system of the present invention can actuate the palletmanagement system that exhibits the above-stated advantages.

According to the cargo distribution management system that includes thedistribution period calculation means, each cargo group is allocatedindividual identification information so that the distribution positionof the cargo group can be grasped. Therefore, it is possible toindividually obtain a period in which the cargo group is transportedbetween the distribution points and acquire necessary information forshortening the distribution period. Further, it is possible to reducethe stock of the consignee by using this information and reduce adistribution cost by shortening the distribution period.

Further, the computer readable recording medium for actuating the cargodistribution management system of the present invention can actuate thecargo distribution management system that exhibits the above-statedadvantages.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a typical block diagram illustrating the configuration of acargo distribution management system in one embodiment according to thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 is a typical block diagram illustrating the configuration of thecargo distribution management system in the embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a typical block diagram for describing the handling of a cargogroup at each distribution point of the cargo distribution managementsystem in the embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a typical block diagram for describing the handling of apallet at each distribution point of the cargo distribution managementsystem in the embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a typical block diagram illustrating the cargo distributionmanagement system in the embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a typical view illustrating an example of a container cargocarry-in slip created by the cargo distribution management system in theembodiment;

FIG. 7 is a typical view illustrating an example of a container-packedcargo certification-of-content created by the cargo distributionmanagement system in the embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a typical view illustrating an example of a packing listcreated by the cargo distribution management system in the embodiment;

FIG. 9 is a typical view for describing an example of a screen forreferring to cargoes according to progress statuses included inidentification information using reference information transmissionmeans;

FIG. 10 is a typical view for describing an example of a screen on whicha progress status of cargoes of a specific type included in theidentification information is displayed using the reference informationtransmission means;

FIG. 11 is a typical view for describing an example of a screen on whicha progress status of cargoes that are being distributed, included in theidentification information is displayed using the reference informationtransmission means;

FIG. 12 is a typical view for describing an example of a screen on whichan arrangement state and the like of cargoes contained in a specificcontainer, included in the identification information is displayed usingthe reference information transmission means;

FIG. 13 is a typical view for describing an example of a screen forreferring to a list of cargoes exported by one container ship, includedin the identification information using the reference informationtransmission means;

FIG. 14 is a graph illustrating an example of the output of a stockrecord and a stock prediction of a cargo group by the cargo distributionmanagement system in the embodiment;

FIG. 15 is a graph illustrating an example of obtaining the statisticsof a distribution period by the cargo distribution management system inthe embodiment;

FIG. 16 is a typical block diagram illustrating the configuration of acargo distribution management system which includes a plurality oftransport means;

FIG. 17 is a typical block diagram illustrating the configuration of acargo distribution management system which includes pallet manufacturingmeans 4;

FIG. 18 is a typical block diagram illustrating the configuration of acargo distribution management system which includes pallet fee chargingmeans;

FIG. 19 is a typical view for describing a manner of exporting heavycargoes by a bulk cargo ship;

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of a pallet P1 in one embodiment accordingto the present invention;

FIG. 21 is a plan view of the pallet P1;

FIG. 22 is a plan view of the pallet P1;

FIG. 23 is a perspective view of a carrier used in this embodiment;

FIG. 24 is a descriptive diagram illustrating periphery of an erector ofthe carrier used in this embodiment;

FIG. 25 is a perspective view of a pallet-equipped carrier;

FIG. 26 is a perspective view of the pallet to which a packed stack ofplate materials is fixed;

FIG. 27 is a descriptive diagram illustrating that a packing sheet is tobe covered on the stack of plate materials in this embodiment;

FIG. 28 is a descriptive diagram illustrating that the pallet is to bemounted after covering the stack of plate materials with the packingsheet in this embodiment;

FIG. 29 is a descriptive diagram illustrating that the pallet is mountedon the packing sheet in this embodiment;

FIG. 30 is a descriptive diagram illustrating a state in which thepallet is reversed after being mounted in this embodiment;

FIG. 31 is a descriptive diagram illustrating a state before the palletis reversed by a reversing machine in this embodiment;

FIG. 32 is a descriptive diagram illustrating a state after the palletis reversed by the reversing machine in this embodiment;

FIG. 33 is a descriptive diagram illustrating a state in which thepallet is to be removed after being reversed by the reversing machine inthis embodiment;

FIG. 34 is a descriptive diagram illustrating a state in which innerdolly blocks are attached to a stack before the stack is packed with apacking sheet in this embodiment;

FIG. 35 is a descriptive diagram illustrating a state in which the stackis to be packed with the packing sheet and then sealed with tapes inthis embodiment;

FIG. 36 is a descriptive diagram illustrating a state in which outerdolly blocks are attached to the stack after being packed with thepacking sheet in this embodiment;

FIG. 37 is a descriptive diagram illustrating a state in which hoopbands are to be inserted through band fixing holes of the pallet in thisembodiment;

FIG. 38 is a perspective view of a pallet loaded with a stack of steelmaterials illustrating that the stack of steel materials is fixed andsealed on the pallet;

FIG. 39 is a descriptive diagram illustrating a state in which thepallet loaded with the stack of steel materials is to be mounted on acarrier in an embodiment;

FIG. 40 is a descriptive diagram illustrating a state in which thepallet loaded with the stack of steel materials is to be fixed to thecarrier;

FIG. 41 is a descriptive diagram illustrating a state in which the steelmaterial stack and pallet-equipped carriers have been contained in acontainer;

FIG. 42 is a descriptive diagram illustrating a state in which emptypallet-equipped empty carriers are piled up by four columns by tenlayers;

FIG. 43 is an explanatory perspective view illustrating an externalappearance of a coiled heavy article pallet P2-1 in one embodimentaccording to the present invention;

FIG. 44 is an explanatory plan view illustrating the external appearanceof the coiled heavy article pallet P2-1;

FIG. 45 is a partially enlarged view for describing the detail of amount portion of the coiled heavy article pallet;

FIG. 46 is a typical view for describing that a coil is mounted on andfixed to the coiled heavy article pallet;

FIG. 47 is an external appearance view illustrating a state in which acoiled heavy article is mounted on the coiled heavy article pallet;

FIG. 48 is a typical view for describing an external appearance of acarrier used to carry the coiled heavy article pallet;

FIG. 49 is a typical view for describing a manner of carrying the coiledheavy article pallet on which the coiled heavy article is mounted;

FIG. 50 is a typical view for describing an through hole provided withan ejection plate for facilitating taking out a fixing band insertedthrough the coiled heavy article pallet;

FIG. 51 is a typical view for describing an through hole provided withan ejection plate for facilitating taking out a fixing band insertedthrough the coiled heavy article pallet;

FIG. 52 is a typical view for describing a different coiled heavyarticle pallet which can separate a mount portion and legs from eachother;

FIG. 53 is a typical view illustrating the different coiled heavyarticle pallet;

FIG. 54 is a plan view of a carrier used to carry the coiled heavyarticle pallet;

FIG. 55 is a side view of the carrier used to carry the coiled heavyarticle pallet;

FIG. 56 is a back view of the carrier used to carry the coiled heavyarticle pallet;

FIG. 57 is a descriptive diagram illustrating a longitudinal section ofan air bearing in a state in which the carrier is levitated;

FIG. 58 is a rear view of the air bearing provided in the carrier;

FIG. 59 is a perspective view of a coiled heavy article pallet P2-2 inanother embodiment according to the present invention;

FIG. 60 is a plan view of the coiled heavy article pallet P2-2;

FIG. 61 is a front view of the coiled heavy article pallet P2-2;

FIG. 62 is a side view of the coiled heavy article pallet P2-2;

FIG. 63 is a side view of the coiled heavy article pallet P2-2 if sideend guides are eliminated from the pallet;

FIG. 64 is a descriptive diagram illustrating a step of mounting a coilon the coiled heavy article pallet;

FIG. 65 is a descriptive diagram illustrating a state in which the coiland the coiled heavy article pallet are fixed together by a bindingband;

FIG. 66 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which the coil andthe coiled heavy article pallet are fixed together by the binding band;

FIG. 67 is a descriptive diagram illustrating a step of carrying thecoil together with the coiled heavy article pallet;

FIG. 68 is a partially broken side view illustrating a dry container anda carry-in/carry-out device used to execute a pallet coupled membercarry-in/carry-out operation in yet another embodiment according to thepresent invention;

FIG. 69 is a partially broken plan view of FIG. 68;

FIG. 70 is a perspective view of a carry-in/carry-out pallet P3 in stillanother embodiment according to the present invention;

FIG. 71 is a front view of the carry-in/carry-out pallet P3;

FIGS. 72(a) and 72(b) are partially enlarged views of FIG. 71illustrating important sections of the carry-in/carry-out pallet P3,wherein FIG. 72(a) illustrates a state in which the carry-in/carry-outpallet is lifted above the floor of a container and FIG. 72(b)illustrates a state in which the carry-in/carry-out pallet is lowered tothe floor of the container;

FIGS. 73(a) and 73(b) are partially broken side views of importantsections of the carry-in/carry-out pallet, wherein FIGS. 73(a) and 73(b)illustrate examples of fixing a carried article by fixing means,respectively;

FIG. 74 is a partially broken perspective view of connecting means;

FIG. 75 is a partially broken perspective view illustrating anotheraspect of the connecting means;

FIG. 76 is a partially broken perspective view illustrating yet anotheraspect of the connecting means;

FIG. 77 is a perspective view of a pallet connecting unit;

FIGS. 78(a), 78(b), and 78(c) are descriptive diagrams for describingaspects of an article being mounted using the pallet connecting unit,wherein FIG. 78(a) illustrate a state in which a long and bulky articleis mounted and FIGS. 78(b) and 78C(c) illustrate that a long article ismounted;

FIG. 79 is a side view of the connecting means in another aspect ofusage;

FIG. 80 is a partially broken front view of sliding means;

FIG. 81 is a partially broken front view of the sliding means;

FIG. 82 is a plan view of first displacement means;

FIG. 83 is a plan view of a stage;

FIG. 84 is a side view of the stage;

FIG. 85 is a descriptive diagram illustrating an introducing anddischarging operation using the pallet connecting unit;

FIG. 86 is a descriptive diagram illustrating the introducing anddischarging operation;

FIGS. 87(a) and 87(b) are descriptive diagrams illustrating preparationconducted in advance of the introduction of an article, wherein FIG.87(a) illustrates preparation of articles prepared near the stage andFIG. 87(b) illustrates preparation of articles being mounted on thepallet connecting unit prepared near the stage;

FIG. 88 is a descriptive diagram for describing another aspect of anarticle carry-in, carry-out method and a partially broken side viewillustrating a container truck and a carry-in device;

FIGS. 89(a), 89(b), and 89(c) are perspective views for describing yetanother aspect of the article carry-in, carry-out method, wherein FIG.89(a) illustrates a state before start, FIG. 89(b) illustrates a statein which a truck enters a support frame, and FIG. 89(c)s illustrates astate in which a container is detached from the truck;

FIG. 90 is a plan view of a coiled article pallet P4 in still anotherembodiment according to the present invention;

FIG. 91 is a perspective side view of the coiled article pallet P4 seenfrom an arrow II side of FIG. 90;

FIG. 92 is a perspective side view of the coiled article pallet P4 seenfrom an arrow III side of FIG. 90;

FIG. 93 is a perspective view for describing the pallet P4;

FIG. 94 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which pallets arepiled up vertically;

FIG. 95 is a perspective view for describing function and illustrating astate in which an article is carried from a storage;

FIG. 96 illustrates a state in which a reversing machine performs areversing operation;

FIG. 97 illustrates a state in which an article is mounted on thereversing machine;

FIG. 98 illustrates a state in which the reversing machine performs areversing operation;

FIG. 99 illustrates a state in which an article loaded pallet is carriedfrom the storage;

FIG. 100 illustrates a state in which the article loaded pallets areintroduced into a container; and

FIG. 101 is a descriptive diagram for describing a state in which thearticle loaded pallets are being contained into the container.

FIG. 102 is a typical block diagram illustrating the configuration of acargo distribution management system in the second embodiment;

FIG. 103 is a descriptive diagram for describing a period constitutingthe distribution period and required for each processing;

FIG. 104 is a descriptive diagram for describing a container shipdeparture schedule table necessary to obtain a container loading period;

FIG. 105 is a descriptive diagram for describing a consignee operatingday table necessary to obtain consignee's operating and waiting periods;and

FIG. 106 is a descriptive diagram for describing an example ofcalculating the distribution period.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

The detail of a cargo distribution management system, a palletmanagement system as well as and a computer readable recording mediumand a program used therefor according to the present invention will bedescribed hereinafter.

The type of the “cargo” handled by the cargo distribution managementsystem is not limited to a specific type as long as the cargo can betransported by a container. In addition, the cargo can be handled aseither a light article that can be carried manually or a heavy articlecarried by some carrying machine.

Any type of the “container” can be used as long as the container is alarge-sized container for cargo export that requires a loadingoperation. Examples of the types of the container include a drycontainer, a side-open container, a flat container, and an open-topcontainer. Further, a container transport method may be any one of amarine transport method, a ground transport method, and an air transportmethod, or may be an arbitrary combination of these methods.

Any type of the “pallet” can be used as long as the pallet is a carrieror a frame that can be used for container transport.

The “cargo group” is a loaded cargo or a pallet unloaded with a cargo.The “loaded cargo” is a pallet and a cargo loaded into the pallet.

Further, “vanning” means an operation for storing one of or both of thecargo and the cargo group in the container and set the cargo so as notto shift a position of the cargo during transport. To “set the cargo soas not to shift a position of the cargo” may indicate that the cargo andthe like are fixed to the container to set the cargo and the like in astate in which the cargo cannot be moved unless the fixing is released.Further, to “set the cargo so as not to shift a position of the cargo”may indicate that the cargo and the like in the container is arranged soas not to generate gaps between the container and the cargo or betweenthe adjacent cargos at least in a horizontal direction to the containerto thereby prevent the shift of the cargo from occurring. “Devanning”means an operation for taking out the vanned cargo and the like in thecontainer from the container.

The “vanning center” and the “devanning center” are facilities at whichthe vanning and devanning operations can be carried out, respectively.Alternatively, such facility as to be able to carry out both the vanningand the devanning may serve as both the “vanning center” and the“devanning center”. Further, the facility may not be an independentfacility but may be annexed to the other facility.

1. Configuration of Cargo Distribution Management System

The cargo distribution management system in one embodiment according tothe present invention is used in distribution management fortransporting a heavy article which is a steel material, such as a flatsteel plate, a steel plate coil, a rod material or a steel wire coil,manufactured by a consignor to a consignee as a cargo through acontainer ship.

Cargo transport in this embodiment is carried out in the followingprocedures.

As shown in FIG. 3, cargoes 531 of the consignor 21 arrive at a vanningcenter 22, are kept in the center 22, loaded into a pallet 55 having nocargoes loaded thereinto (hereinafter “empty pallet 552”), and turnedinto loaded cargoes 53. Next, these loaded cargoes 53 are vanned into acontainer 52 (see, for example, FIG. 49). A cargo group 51 which is thecontainer 52 loaded with loaded cargoes 53 is carried to a consignorcontainer yard 23, loaded into a container ship at a wharf, andtransported toward a wharf on the consignee side. In addition, on theconsignee-side wharf, the cargo group 51 is unloaded to a consigneecontainer yard 24 and delivered to a consignee devanning center 25. Atthe devanning center 25, devanning for unloading the loaded cargoes 53from the container 22 is carried out.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the cargo distribution management system inthis embodiment is constituted so that a server computer 1 and terminals7 are connected to a communication network 6.

(1) Server Computer 1

The server computer 1 is a computer which can execute a cargodistribution management system program for actuating the cargodistribution management system and the form of the server computer 1 canbe freely selected. For example, the server computer 1 may be a set ofcomputer systems disposed at a certain location. Alternatively, theserver computer 1 may be a plurality of sets of computer systemsdisposed at a plurality of distant locations. The plural sets ofcomputer systems may consist of a main system which always operates anda sub-system which operates when an abnormality occurs to the mainsystem. Alternatively, the plural sets of computer systems maydistributed systems having processings of respective means distributed.

The server computer 1 can be disposed at an arbitrary location. Theserver computer 1 can be disposed at, for example, one of distributionpoints. Alternatively, the server computer 1 can be disposed at aseparately prepared location such as a so-called data center.

A communication method for communicating the server computer 1 with eachterminal 7 and a storage method for storing various pieces ofinformation can be arbitrarily selected. For example, a communicationmethod and a storage method using a XML format which enables informationexchange between systems different in the form of various pieces ofinformation can be employed.

(2) Terminals 7

As shown in FIG. 2, each terminal 7 is a device which includesdistribution status transmission means 101 and which is connected to theserver computer 1 for input of distribution status information,reference thereto, and the like. As this terminal 7, an easilyobtainable existing personal computer, portable terminal or the like canbe used. The terminal 7 is provided at each distribution point 2.

The distribution status transmission means 101 can be stored on astorage device of the server computer 1 as a downloadable program. Whenthe cargo distribution management system is used, the means 101 can bedownloaded from the server computer 1 to the terminal 7 and executed.

It is also possible to store a program and the like necessary for thecargo distribution management system in the terminal 7 in advance andtransfer a necessary program through the communication network 6. Theterminal 7 may be a terminal which uses a program, such as a World WideWeb browser, installed into an ordinary personal computer (which programwill be referred to as “browser program” hereinafter). By allowing theserver computer 1 to execute the program for the cargo distributionmanagement system and setting the program to be operable from anexternal terminal, the program can be operated through the browserprogram and the object of the invention can be thereby attained. Theterminals 7 shown in FIGS. 2 and 5 are connected to the server computer1 through the communication network 6. Alternatively, they may bedirectly connected to the server computer 1 or formed integrally withthe server computer 1.

The distribution status transmission means 101 included in each terminal7 is a means for transmitting identification information input by theterminal 7 and position information on the corresponding distributionpoint 2 to the server computer 1. This means can be arbitrarilyselected. If the browser program stored in the terminal 7 is used, aninformation transmission function that this browser program inherentlyhas can be used as the distribution status transmission means 101.

This position information is used to determine at which distributionpoint 2 the cargo group 51 identified by the position information islocated. The position information may be replaced by an authenticationmeans of the terminal 7. This is because the authentication means thatcan discriminate the respective distribution points 2 can determine atwhich distribution point 2 the cargo group 51 is located at the time ofauthentication and determine the position unitarily.

(3) Communication Network 6

The communication network 6 is a network employed for the communicationbetween the server computer 1 and the terminals 7 and may be of anarbitrary type. Further, the number of types is not limited to one butplural types of communication networks can be selected and/orsimultaneously used. Examples of the types include public networks suchas the Internet and a telephone network and various dedicated lines. Thecommunication network 6 may be either a wired network or a wirelessnetwork.

(4) Identification Information and Identification Information StorageMedium 54

The “identification information” may be any information as long as therespective cargo groups 51 can be identified by the information. Theidentification information can contain an arbitrary content asinformation. This identification information can contain arbitraryinformation such as a product name, a product number and otherinformation such as product specifications (e.g., a weight and a size)as information on each cargo group 51. Further, the identificationinformation can contain a consignor name, a consignee name, a positionin the container, and the like as information on transport.

Further, the identification information can contain the pallet number ofthe pallet 55 to be used, the container number of the container 52 to beused, and the like.

An identification information storage medium 54 which stores theidentification information can be provided on each loaded cargo 53(which may be each cargo 531 or each pallet 55) as shown in FIG. 66 oron the container 52 (not shown). By providing the identificationinformation storage medium 54 on each loaded cargo 53, it is possible torefer to the identification information and thereby know the detail ofthe cargo group 51 even if a material, such as a slip, attached to thecargo group 51 is unavailable. This identification information storagemedium 54 can store either all pieces of identification information oronly part of identification information. The reason for storing onlypart of the identification information is that all pieces of informationcontained in the identification information are not always necessary.

Further, the identification information storage medium 54 may beprovided on either only one of the cargo group 51 and the container 52or both of them. If a plurality of identification information storagemediums 54 are provided, pieces of identification information differentin content can be stored in the mediums 54 provided on the cargo 531,the pallet 55, and the container 52, respectively. For example, theproduct number of the cargo 531 can be stored in the medium 54 providedon the cargo 531, the pallet number of the pallet 55 can be stored inthe medium 54 provided on the pallet 55, and the product numbers, palletnumbers and the like of the cargoes 531 and the pallets 55 contained inthe container 52 can be stored in the medium 54 provided on thecontainer 52.

As the identification information storage medium 54, any one ofarbitrary storage mediums such as a barcode, a magnetic medium and asemiconductor memory can be used. This is because such a storage mediumcan store the identification information on each cargo group 51 and theidentification information can be referred to even if it is small insize. Among these storage mediums, it is preferable to use the barcodesince it can be provided at low cost.

The barcode used as the identification information storage medium 54 maybe either a one-dimensional barcode or a two-dimensional barcode. Thetwo-dimensional barcode is preferable rather than the one-dimensionalbarcode since the former has a storage capacity sufficient to store allcontents of the identification information without selectively storingthe contents. If the semiconductor memory is used as the identificationinformation storage medium 54, a medium, such as a RFID tag and anon-contact IC card, that can read stored information using anelectromagnetic wave or the like is more preferable.

(5) Pallet 55

The “pallet” may be of an arbitrary type as long as it is used as acarrier of cargoes to be distributed. Examples of the pallet 55 includea standardized module pallet. Examples of the standardized module palletinclude a steel plate pallet shown in FIG. 26, a steel plate coil palletshown in FIG. 59, a specific cargo dedicated pallet such as a wire rodpallet shown in FIG. 93, and a general-purpose pallet shown in FIG. 70.

(6) Cargo Distribution Management System Program

As shown in FIG. 2, the cargo distribution management system programexecuted by the server computer in the cargo distribution managementsystem includes an storage means 102, a distribution status instructmeans 103, a distribution status output means 104, a procedural documentcreation means 107, a container packing information generation means108, a stock calculation means 109, a stock planning means 110, adistribution period calculation means 112, a pallet information storagemeans 121, a pallet information update means 122, a transport schedulingmeans 123, and a reference information transmission means 113.

(a) Storage Means 102

The storage means 102 is a database that stores identificationinformation and distribution status information. This distributionstatus information is information that contains at least positioninformation on the identification information distribution points 2. Thestorage means 102, in accordance with the instruction from thedistribution status instruct means 103, the distribution status outputmeans 104, the procedural document creation means 107, the containerpacking information generation means 108, the stock calculation means109 and the reference information transmission means 113, stores orupdates the identification information and the distribution statusinformation received from the distribution status instruct means 103,the distribution status output means 104, the procedural documentcreation means 107, the container packing information generation means108, the stock calculation means 109 and the reference informationtransmission means 113, the storage means 102 updates the storeddistribution status information etc., and also the storage means 102outputs the stored distribution status information etc. to theinstruction source.

(b) Distribution Status Instruct Means 103

The distribution status instruct means 103 is a means for receiving theidentification information and the distribution status informationtransmitted from the distribution status transmission means 101 of theterminal 7, instructing storage means 102 to store the receiveddistribution status information in the storage means 102, andinstructing storage means 102 to update the distribution statusinformation stored in the storage means 102.

Concrete examples of storing and updating the distribution statusinformation include inspected article registration, operationinstruction record registration, booking request, dray request and thelike.

(c) Distribution Status Output Means 104

The distributions status output means 104 is a means for outputting aresult obtained by processing the distribution status information storedin the storage means 102 according to an instruction from thedistribution status transmission means 101, the pallet informationupdate means 122 or the like. The obtained result is output to a displayor printer (not shown) connected to the server computer 1 or theterminal 7, the pallet information update means 122, and the like.

(d) Procedural Document Creation Means 107

The procedural document creation means 107 is a means for creating adocument necessary for transport based on the distribution statusinformation stored in the storage means 102. Examples of the documentinclude a container cargo packing slip shown in FIG. 6, acontainer-contained cargo certification-of-content shown in FIG. 7, anda packing list shown in FIG. 8. The document needs to be submitted to acustoms clearance, a container ship company and the like. The createddocument is output to the display or the printer (not shown) connectedto the terminal 7 at each distribution point 2 as well as a portablestorage medium (e.g., a flexible disk or a memory card) and the like.

(e) Container Containing Information Generation Means 108

The container packing information generation means 108 is means forgenerating container packing information on a container in which theloaded cargoes 53 are arranged based on the distribution statusinformation stored in the storage means 102 so that the total weight ofthe container 52 that contains the loaded cargoes 53 and the position ofthe center of gravity of the container 52 can fall within respectivepredetermined ranges. Obtained information is output to the display orprinter (not shown) connected to the server computer 1 or the terminal 7and the like. The obtained result is also stored in the storage means102. It is noted that the container packing information can be output toan arbitrary device for vanning.

Further, since ordinarily distributed containers are owned by transportcompanies such as ship owners, they cannot be often used for differenttransport destinations. Due to this, the container packing informationalso contains container identification information for identifyingcontainers that store the loaded cargoes 53. This containeridentification information is input when the container is prepared.

(f) Stock Calculation Means 109

The stock calculation means 109 is a means for calculating stockinformation on the loaded cargoes 531 of the consignee 26 based on thedistribution status information stored in the storage means 102 andstock information attained from the consignee. Obtained information,such as a graph shown in FIG. 14 is output to the display or printer(not shown) connected to the server computer 1 or the terminal 7 and thelike.

This stock information is information on the change of stock to date andthe like as shown in FIG. 14.

(g) Stock Planning Means 110

The stock planning means 110 is a means for creating a stock plan basedon the stock information obtained by the stock calculation means 109 andthe distribution period obtained by the distribution period calculationmeans 112. This stock plan is a plan related to a time and a quantityfor supplying the cargo 531 to the consignee 26 so as to be able tomaintain a stock quantity almost constant such as a plan to the effectthat the stock quantity of the consignee 26 is about a one-monthquantity of stock. By the planning means, the security of pallets andcontainers necessary for the supply, the decision of a vanning time andthe like are also planned.

If the stock quantity of the consignee 26 decreases, a time of use ofthe cargoes 531 and a quantity of the cargoes 531 can be estimated basedon the ordering plan of the consignee 26. In addition, if the stockquantity of the consignee 26 increases, the stock plan can be created bydetermining the time and the quantity for supplying the cargoes 531 tothe consignee 26 in light of a delay caused by the transport periodsince the visit intervals and the transport period of the container shipare known in advance. The created stock plan can be transmitted to thecontainer packing information generation means 108 and thereby instructthe means 108 to generate container packing information.

Concrete examples of the stock plan include a vanning plan creationprocessing, a vanning operation instruction processing, and an exportscheduling processing.

The obtained stock plan is output to the display or printer (not shown)connected to the server computer 1 or the terminal 7 and the like.

(h) Distribution Period Calculation Means 112

The distribution period calculation means 112 is means for calculatingthe distribution period (also referred to as “lead time”) of the cargogroup 51 between the respective distribution points 2. An obtainedresult, e.g., a graph shown in FIG. 15, is output to the display orprinter (not shown) connected to the server computer 1 or the terminal 7and the like.

As shown in FIG. 106, this distribution period can be obtained bydetermining a distribution processing period required for eachdistribution processing element in cargo distribution and adding up thedistribution processing period for the respective distributionprocessing elements.

Examples of this “distribution processing element” include a cargomanufacturing element, a vanning element, a customs clearance element, aloading element, a marine transport element, an unloading element, aconsignee operating/waiting element, and a ground transport element.This is an element in a period obtained by dividing the distributionperiod according to predetermined processings.

The distribution processing period for this distribution processingelement can be arbitrarily selected. Examples of the period include acargo manufacturing period, a vanning period, a customs clearanceperiod, a loading period, a marine transport period, an unloadingperiod, a consignee operating/waiting period, and a ground transportperiod. The distribution processing period for the distributionprocessing element can be arbitrarily determined. For example, a methodfor determining the period based on a period obtained from previousdistribution in advance, or the like can be used.

In addition, the distribution processing period can be varied accordingto the types of distribution target cargos or according to theconsignees. If there are different types of cargos, periods required formanufacturing and the like often differ, accordingly. If consignees aredifferent, transport distances differ and the periods vary, accordingly.

(i) Pallet Information Storage Means 121

The pallet information storage means 121 is a database which storespallet information including the use record and present position of thepallet 55.

(j) Pallet Information Update Means 122

The pallet information update means 122 is a means for updating thepallet information stored in the pallet information storage means 121based on the distribution status information output from thedistribution status output means 104. In addition, the means 122 createsa document related to the return of the pallet at the time of unloadingthe cargoes 531 loaded on the pallet 55 and updating the palletinformation as the empty pallet 552.

(k) Reference Information Transmission Means 113

The reference information transmission means 113 is a means fortransmitting the distribution status information to the referenceterminal 7 connected to the communication network 6 in accordance with areference request signal transmitted from the reference terminal 7. Thereference information transmission means 113 also transmits thedistribution status information stored in the storage means 102 and theoutput of the distribution status output means 104.

Further, the reference information transmission means 113 can specifythe user of the terminal 7 and restrict the range of the terminalinformation which can be referred to or updated by employing thearbitrary authentication means at the time of connecting the terminal 7to the server computer 1.

(l) Transport Scheduling Means 123

The transport scheduling means 123 is a means for making a schedule forvanning or the like based on the cargo transport plan created by thestock planning means 110 or the like so that the cargo group 51 can beloaded when the container ship arrives at a wharf in accordance with thecontainer ship arrival date.

This schedule is planned so that a stock volume by which the cargo group51 is stored at the consignee side can fall within a certain range.Based on this schedule, the shipping date of the cargo group 51 can bedetermined. For example, by acquiring a stock utilization plan of theconsignee from the consignee, stock consumption can be predicted. At thesame time, a stock shortage date can be calculated. The shipping date orthe like can be obtained by subtracting the distribution period from thestock shortage day so that an additional cargo group 51 can arrive atthe consignee on this shortage date.

2. Cargo Management

The operation of the cargo distribution management system in thisembodiment constituted as stated above will be described.

The operation of the cargo distribution management system can beclassified to cargo management, individual stock management, palletmanagement, and information exchange.

The cargo management is to perform processings necessary for thedistribution of the cargo and manage related to the processings.

(1) Preprocessing

Before the cargo distribution management system distributes the cargo,the system inputs and stores specifications of the cargo 531 to behandled in the storage means 102 in advance. The heavy article that isthe cargo 531 handled in this embodiment is a standard article.Therefore, by inputting a weight per unit, the type(s) of the pallet 55to be used and the like, they can be repeatedly utilized without anychange.

(2) Processing During Cargo Arrival

Before the cargo 531 arrives from the consignor 21, the consignor 21,which manufactures the heavy article that is the cargo 531, can graspthe type, volume and the like of the cargoes 531 to be exported inadvance. This information can be acquired by an arbitrary method inadvance and the identification information can be prepared prior to thearrival. This information can be also input based on identificationinformation on the consignor (by, for example, a barcode attached to thecargo) that is added by the consignor. These pieces of information areinput by the distribution status transmission means 101 of the terminal7 and stored in the storage means 102 by the distribution statusinstruct means 103.

When the cargo 531 arrives at the vanning center 22, an inspectedarticle registration processing is carried out. In this inspectedarticle registration processing, identification information for varioustypes of management is stored in the storage means 102. Namely, piecesof identification information such as cargo specifications (a type, aweight, a volume, etc.), a consignor name, and a consignee name areinput by the distribution status transmission means 101 of the terminal7.

The distribution status transmission means 101 transmits the inputidentification information together with information indicating anarrival state to the distribution status instruct means 103. Thedistribution status instruct means 103 stores the transmittedidentification information in the storage means 102.

Further, the loaded cargoes 53 are appropriately arranged using thecontainer packing information generation means 108 for arranging theloaded cargoes 53 into the container so as to keep preferableequilibrium in the center of gravity.

A pallet supply means 106 for the pallet management to be describedlater prepares the empty pallet 552 suitable for the arriving cargoes.

The transport scheduling means 123 obtains the volume and the like ofthe cargo group 51 to be exported in accordance with the timing when theship arrives and makes a schedule for the export. The stock planningmeans 110 or the other arbitrary means prepares the container to be usedfor transport.

Furthermore, the identification information storage medium 54 isprepared. To be specific, the identification information is printed as atwo-dimensional barcode.

(3) Processing During Cargo Loading into Pallet

The cargoes 531 that arrive are loaded onto and fixed to the emptypallet 552 prepared by the pallet supply means 106 to provide the loadedcargoes 53. Thereafter, the distribution status transmission means 101of the terminal 7 notifies the distribution status instruct means 103that vanning can be prepared. In addition, the distribution statustransmission means 101 notifies the pallet information update means 122that the empty pallet 552 is used.

(4) Processing During Vanning

The distribution status transmission means 101 of the terminal notifiesthe distribution status instruct means 103 of the containeridentification number, seal number and the like of the preparedcontainer 52 to update the identification information as containeridentification information.

The procedural document creation means 107 creates and outputs documentsnecessary for distribution at the customs clearance such as a containercargo packing slip and a packing list. For example, the proceduraldocument creation means 107 creates the container cargo packing slipshown in FIG. 6. In the container cargo carry-in slip, a ship owner'sname, a ship name, a container type, a container number, a gross weight,an unloading port name and the like are described. Further, as shown inFIG. 8, the packing list in which the explanation of the articles in thecontainer 52, a weight per article, a total weight and the like arementioned is created.

These documents can be acquired by the terminal 7 provided at thevanning center 22, the consignor container yard 23 or the like. Thesedocuments are not necessarily created at the time of vanning. This isbecause the documents can be submitted to the customs clearance or thelike as long as they can be output in response to an output instructionissued from the vanning center 22, the consignor container yard 23 orthe like.

At the time of the vanning, the container identification number and thelike of the container 52 are compared with the container identificationinformation referred to through the terminal 7 or the like so as tocheck whether the container is a correct container. This comparison canprevent the loaded cargoes 53 from being vanned into an erroneouscontainer and transported to an erroneous transport destination.

(5) Processing on Destination Arrival

After the container 52 loaded with the loaded cargoes 53 arrives at theconsignee, the terminal 7 of the consignee is used to notify thedistribution status instruct means 103 of the arrival of the loadedcargoes 53 to allow the distribution status instruct means 103 to updatethe identification information.

3. Individual Stock Management

The individual stock management includes functions to grasp and predictstock change records on a consignor side and a consignee side using thestock planning means 110, so that an appropriate volume of the nextvanning shipment can be calculated.

(1) Stock Change

Further, the individual stock management system simulates an on-the-spotstock change prediction using the consignor-side shipment plan based ondemand prediction data and a stock record report from the consigneeside, and creates and executes a shipment plan so that the on-the-spotstock can be kept at an appropriate level. It is thereby possible torealize a structure in which necessary articles can be delivered to aconsignee-side client by a necessary quantity at a necessary time.

In a transport route using the container ship, the container ship leavesport at a fixed date and arrives at the consignee after a predeterminednumber of days. Due to this, a lag occurs during the transport period.In addition, even if the cargoes are already forwarded, they may bestored in the container yard or in the ship. For this reason, even ifthe stock is calculated based on the number of cargoes in the vanningcenter and the number of cargoes in stock at the consignee, an accuratestock status cannot be attained unless the number of cargoes beingdistributed and sequentially arriving are considered.

A stock prediction processing in this embodiment is capable of graspingeven the cargo group located in the ship or the like as the stock at thevanning center by using the distribution status information and keepingthe stock of the consignee to be in a minimum quantity without shortage.

As shown in FIG. 14, to perform this stock prediction processing, paststock quantities of the consignor, the quantity of cargoes that arebeing transported by the container ship and the like are obtained, astock change estimated from the day of arrival of cargoes manufacturedin response to a consignee's order is calculated, and the calculatedstock change is output simultaneously with a graph.

This stock prediction can be made for cargoes of a specific type or theoverall stock of a warehouse of each consignee. By keeping cargoes of aspecified type, a lack of stock of the cargoes can be prevented.Further, by predicting the overall stock, a shipment plan which can keepminimum stock can be created.

(2) Distribution Period

A table related to a distribution period (lead time) can be createdbased on the identification information. As shown in FIG. 15, this tableis a result that the distribution period calculation means 112 obtains adistribution period (e.g., the number of days) required to transportcargoes between the respective distribution points 2 based on theidentification information stored in the storage means 102.

By obtaining such a distribution period graph, it is possible to easilygrasp an interval which has a problem with the distribution period.

As indicated by dotted lines of FIG. 15, this graph also includes aresult of calculating a distribution period after a present time andobtaining a transport schedule so that the stock of the consignee canfall within a certain range. By obtaining a period required for ordinarydistribution as the distribution period, it is possible to reckonbackward a cargo group shipping date so that the cargo group arrives atthe consignee as planned and construct a transport schedule.

This distribution period is obtained by adding up distributionprocessing periods for the respective processings in the cargodistribution. As shown in FIG. 103, examples of the distributionprocessing periods include the cargo manufacturing period 91, thevanning period 92, the customs clearance period 93, the loading period94, the marine transport period 95, the unloading period 96, theconsignee operating/waiting period 97, and the ground transport period98. These distribution processing periods are indicated by the number ofdays or time. The distribution processing periods vary according to thetypes of the cargo group 51 to be transported or the consignees. In somecases, the ground transport period 98 is not set because the consigneecontainer yard 24 and the devanning center 25 are located adjacent eachother.

The cargo manufacturing period 91 is a period necessary for theconsignor 21 to manufacture the cargo 531.

The vanning period 92 is a period necessary to load the cargo 531 intothe pallet 52 and the perform vanning the cargo 531 to the container 52at the vanning center 22.

The customs clearance period 92 is a period required to take necessaryprocedures for clearing the cargo group 51 through the customs.

The loading period 94 is a period required before the cargo group 51 isloaded into the container ship after the cargo group 51 is clearedthrough the customs. This period 94 also includes a container shiparrival period (see, for example, FIG. 104) and a period required forloading.

The marine transport period 95 is a period for which the cargo group 51is transported by the container by sea.

The unloading period 96 is a period for which the cargo group 51 isunloaded from the container ship.

The consignee operating/waiting period 97 is a period for which thetransport is awaited so that the cargo group 51 arrives at the consigneein a time zone in which the consignee operates. As shown in, forexample, FIG. 105, a consignee's operating schedule table is preparedand the period 97 is calculated so that the cargo group 51 arrives atthe consignee on a consignee operating date based on the table.

The ground transport period 98 is a period necessary to transport thecargo from the container yard to the devanning canter 25.

These distribution processing periods can be obtained by, for example,estimating the periods in advance. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 106, thedistribution processing period can be obtained by calculating therespective distribution processing periods and obtaining a sum of thedistribution processing periods.

4. Pallet Management

The pallet management system included in the cargo distributionmanagement system in this embodiment can manage the pallet used indistribution. The management of the pallet will be described withreference to a flow chart related to pallet handling shown in FIG. 4.

(1) Pallet Manufacturing

The pallet used in the cargo distribution management system is allocatedan individual pallet number and stored in the vanning center after thepallet is manufactured. Later management operations are carried outbased on this pallet number. The pallet management system connects tothe pallet information update means 122 of the server computer 1 throughthe terminal 7 to store and register the pallet number in the palletinformation storage means 121. In addition, during the registration, thepallet is indicated as an empty pallet 552, i.e., a pallet into whichcargoes can be loaded.

(2) Processing on Cargo Arrival

When the cargoes 531 arrive from the consignor, the pallet managementsystem instructs the pallet supply means 106 to supply the empty pallet552. The pallet supply means 106 refers to the pallet information updatemeans 122, searches for the empty pallet 552, and supplies the emptypallet 552. In addition, the pallet update means 122 changes the palletinformation stored in the pallet information storage means 121 so thatit is indicated that the pallet 55 is in use.

(3) Processing During Pallet Return

After the cargoes 531 loaded on the pallet 55 are unloaded from thepallet 55, the pallet 55 is returned to the distribution point 2 such asthe vanning center 22 that maintains the pallet 55. The pallet return iscarried out by containing the pallets 55 together with the other palletsagain into one of the containers storing general cargoes 531 andtransporting the container to the vanning center 22 or the like. Thereason for returning the pallet is to decrease a container empty stateand to increase a container utilization rate.

The pallet information update means 122 changes the pallet informationstored in the pallet information storage means 121 so as to indicatethat the pallet 55 is being returned. At the same time, the documentsrelated to the pallet return to be submitted to the customs clearance orthe like are created.

(4) Pallet Inspection

The pallet 55 which has been returned is subjected to an inspection asto whether the pallet 55 is recyclable. At the same time, the palletinformation update means 122 changes the pallet information in thepallet information storage means 121 so as to indicate that the pallet55 is being inspected.

The pallet 55 which is determined to be recyclable as a result of theinspection is stored after the pallet information update means 122changes the pallet information so as to indicate that the pallet 55 isan empty pallet. The pallet 55 which is determined to be recyclable ifit is repaired is stored after being repaired. At the same time, repairinformation on the pallet 55 is added to the pallet information storedin the pallet information storage means 121.

(5) Pallet Disposal

The pallet 55 which is determined to be non-recyclable is disposed ofafter the pallet information update means 122 changes the palletinformation so as to indicate that pallet 55 is disposed of.

By thus managing the pallets using the pallet identification numbers andthereby grasping the number of pallets and the present number of palletsat each location to enable optimum volume management, it is possible torationalize cost. In addition, by recording histories of such items asrepair, it is possible to grasp the degradation degree of each palletand utilize manufacturing and modification of a new pallet.

5. Information Exchange

In the cargo distribution management system in this embodiment, if theterminal 7 is connectable to a communication line, the terminal 7 canrefer to information such as the distribution status information byconnecting the terminal 7 to the server computer 1 and using thereference information transmission means 113. Further, the terminal 7can input information necessary to the system from systems, equipmentand the like other than this system, and transmit information thereto.For example, the system of the consignee 26 can connect to theinformation provision means through the communication line and acquirethe distribution management information. In addition, the terminal 7 canconnect to the system of the consignee 26 and provide informationnecessary for generation of the identification information to the systemof the consignee 26.

(1) Inquiry Processing

A computer which can execute the browser program is connected, as theterminal 7 (reference terminal), to the server computer 1, whereby thecomputer can perform an identification information inquiry processing.In the inquiry processing, the computer authenticates an inquirer andrestricts a reference range for each container or each cargo accordingto the inquirer.

As shown in FIG. 9, in this inquiry processing, a progress state as towhich distribution point 2 or the like the cargo group 51 of a specifictype being distributed resides at, and the like can be obtained in theform of a list. By selecting an arbitrary distribution point 2,information on details of the residing cargo group 51 can be obtained asshown in FIG. 10.

As shown in FIG. 11, by inputting the type of the cargo 531, theprogress state of the cargo 531 can be obtained. As shown in FIG. 12, bydesignating the container 52, details of the cargo group 51 containedinto the container 52 can be obtained. In addition, arrangementinformation which can indicate at which position the cargo group 51 islocated in the container 52 can be obtained.

By referring to these pieces of information, it is possible to easilygrasp from which container 52 the cargo 531 necessary for the consignee26 is unloaded.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 13, in this inquiry processing, details ofthe cargo 531 in a certain progress state (on the container ship in FIG.13) can be obtained in the form of a list. The details are necessarywhen an inquirer inquires of a specific distribution point 2, thecontainer ship or the like.

(2) Information Exchange Processing

The information exchange processing is a processing for establishinginformation exchange with the system and terminals used in the otherconsignors 21, consignees 26 and the like that are not directly relatedto this cargo distribution management system by transmitting andreceiving the identification information.

Many pieces of the identification information handled by the cargodistribution management system are shared with the information on thecargoes 531 that the consignors 21 or the consignees 26 already handle.Due to this, by transferring information on the cargoes 531 from themanagement system or the like for the cargoes 531 used by the consignors21 or the consignees 26 through the communication network or the like,it is possible to eliminate labor for inputting the information again onthe cargo distribution management system side.

In addition, if the system on the consignor 26 receives theidentification information handled by the cargo distribution managementsystem, the system can grasp containers 52 and cargoes 531 to bereceived without inputting the information again in advance, thusfacilitating improving receipt operation efficiency.

6. Pallet for Container and Container Carry-In and Carry-Out Method

Concrete examples of various types of container pallets P1 to P4 and ofcarrying these pallets in and out of the container or the like will bedescribed. Concrete examples of the pallet P1 will be described withreference to FIGS. 20 to 42, those of the pallet P2 will be describedwith reference to FIGS. 43 to 67, those of the pallet P3 will bedescribed with reference to FIGS. 68 to 89, and those of the pallet P4will be described with reference to FIGS. 90 to 101.

[Pallet P1]

(1) Pallet Structure

FIG. 20 illustrates examples of the pallet P1 (hereinafter “pallets 1 a,1 b, and 1 c”) in this embodiment. The pallet P1 is used fortransporting heavy articles such as steel plates or the like. The palletP1 is divided to three types of pallets shown in FIG. 20 to have 3/3, ⅔,and ⅓ sizes of the size of the container (which may be a carrier or amodule) and denoted by 1 a, 1 b, and 1 c, respectively. The pallet 1 ais substantially equal to the container in the size of a plane form, acombination of the pallets 1 b and 1 c is substantially equal to thecontainer in the size of the plane form, and even a combination of threepallets 1 c is substantially equal to the carrier in the size of theplane form.

As illustrated in FIG. 20, each pallet has a plurality of hoop bandthrough steel plate fixing holes (hereinafter “band fixing holes”) 11 atappropriate positions outlining peripherally the different plane figuresof a plurality of different stacked plates having different cuttingforms, respectively so that any of different kinds of plates may beselected, stacked and fixed on a single pallet. Namely, these threetypes of pallets 1 a, 1 b, and 1 c constitute a general-purpose palletscapable of fixing up to 17 types of steel plates having differentcutting forms. In FIG. 20, reference numeral 12 denotes a carrier fixingbolt hole. The 3/3 pallet 1 a has four bolt holes 12 formed on the uppersurface of the pallet and other four bolt holes 12 also formed on thelower surface of the pallet near edges. Thus, the pallet is fixed atfour points. On the other hand, the ⅔ or ⅓ pallet 1 b or 1 c smallerthan the 3/3 pallet 1 a has two bolt holes 12 formed on the uppersurface of the pallet near edges diagonally to be opposed to positionsof notches 15 and two bolt holes 12 similarly formed on the lowersurface of the pallet. In this case, the pallet is fixed at two points.

FIG. 21 illustrates another example of the ⅔ pallet 1 b. In FIG. 21, thepallet 1 b has a plurality of fixing holes 11 a for fixing a stack ofsteel plates 4 a and a plurality of fixing holes 11 b for fixing anotherstack of steel plates 4 b as well as a plurality of fixing holes 11 cfor fixing yet another stack of steel plates. Further, the pallet 1 bshown in FIG. 21 has carrier fixing bolt holes 12 and notches 15.Carrier fixing positioning holes 14 are used for positioning if the rearsurface of the pallet is a mount and fixing surface for mounting andfixing the stack of steel plates. Carrier fixing positioning holes aresimilarly formed on the rear surface of the pallet 1 b.

FIG. 22 illustrates another example of the ⅓ pallet 1 c. In FIG. 22, thepallet 1 c has 20 fixing holes 11 of various types for fixing, forexample, five types of stacks of steel plates 4 a, 4 b, 4 c, 4 d, and 4e having different forms.

(2) Carrier Structure

FIG. 23 illustrates one example of the carrier 2 in an embodimentaccording to the present invention. A loading/unloading length(longitudinal (depth) length) of this carrier 2 is a length quadrisectedrelative to (a quarter length of) the length of the container in aloading/unloading length direction. The carrier 2 has a transversedimension slightly shorter than the corresponding inner size of thecontainer. Namely, when four carriers 2 are combined and arranged ininto a longitudinal row, the combined carriers 2 are substantially equalin size to the plane form of the container. A total of eight carriers 2are piled into two layers making up four columns in a single container,each carrier being loaded with a stack of steel plates. As shown inFIGS. 23 and 24, the carrier 2 has inwardly collapsible erectors 21 atits four corners. The erectors when erected allow stacks of steel platesto be piled one upon another. In FIG. 24, reference numeral 22 denotes awasher and 23 denotes a groove. When the erector 21 is raised upward,the erector 21 is relocated so that the washer 22 reaches the topmostposition of the groove 23. This action allows the erector 21 to becollapsed rightward. Reference numeral 24 denotes a hole thataccommodates the top of an erector attached to another carrier 2. Withthe erector tops inserted in the holes 24, the carriers 2 are piled oneupon another in a securely layered manner.

When the carriers are piled one upon another with their erectors 21extended, there occurs no interference between the stacks of steelplates carried by the stacked carriers. This prevents damage to thestacks of plates in transit, thus keeping them in good quality. Legs 28at two edges of the carriers prevent the top plates of the pallets fromgetting into contact with one another when the emptied carriers togetherwith the pallets are piled in a layered manner as shown in FIG. 42 forreturn haulage. In FIG. 23, reference numeral 25 denotes a pallet fixingpositioning projection. The projections 25 eliminate the need for theconventional tedious task of positioning the pallet as it is being fixedto a carrier. Reference numeral 26 denotes a pallet fixing bolt hole.The bolts 26 are spaced equally apart in the longitudinal direction ofthe carrier. The bolt holes 26 are arranged so as to address possiblefuture changes in the pallet dimensions. For example, the bolt holespacing will accommodate pallets of one-half size, one-fourth size (plustwo-fourths and three-fourths sizes), and one-fifth size (as well astwo-fifths, three-fifths and four-fifths sizes). In FIG. 23, referencenumeral 27 denotes a hole that accommodates the fork tips of a fork-lifttruck for loading, moving and unloading.

(3) Methods for Packing Stacks of Steel Plates, Containing the Stacks ofSteel Plates into Container, and Transporting Container

Methods for packing stacks of steel plates, containing the stacks ofsteel plates into a container, and transporting the container will bedescribed with reference to FIGS. 27 to 42.

As shown in FIG. 27, numerous stacks steel plates (that are stacked on apredetermined pallet 87 and that may be moved about by a forklift) iscovered with a packing sheet 7 from above. The pallet 1 a shown in FIG.20 is positioned and set on the packed stack using a crane or a forklift(FIGS. 28 and 29).

The stack of steel materials thus packed with the packing sheet andtopped with the pallet is then placed on a base 101 of a stack reversingmachine 10 shown in FIG. 31. With pressure arms 102 a and 102 bprocessed and pressed appropriately with respect to the stack of steelplates, the stack reversing machine 10 is activated (FIGS. 31 and 32).The reversing action produces an assembly of the pallets 1, the packingsheet 7, the stack of steel plates 4, and the pallet 87 being piled up(FIG. 30). Thereafter, the pallet 87 is removed from the stack of steelplates 4 (FIG. 33). Inner dolly blocks 88 are attached to thosepositions of the stack which are to be strapped with hoop bands (FIG.34). The packed stack is sealed with adhesive tapes 85 (FIG. 35).

Next, outer dolly blocks 81 are attached to those positions of the stackwhich are to be strapped with hoop bands (FIG. 36). Traverse battens 82are laid across the opposite dolly blocks 81, and hoop bands 3 arethreaded through the appropriately located band holes of the pallet(FIG. 37). The sealing positions are tightened and sealed by sealerusing L shaped fittings, thus producing a pallet assembly 8 composed ofthe stack of steel plates packed, fixed and sealed on the pallet (FIG.38). FIG. 26 illustrates another example of a similar pallet assembly 8comprising a stack of steel plates. Unlike what is shown in FIG. 38, theplane figure of the stacked steel plates in FIG. 26 is a trapezoid.

The pallet assembly 8 comprised of the plate stack is then placed on acarrier 2 and positioned so that alignment holes (not shown) on the backside of the pallet 1 will be engaged with the positioning projection 25of the carrier 2 (FIG. 39). With the pallet assembly 8 positioned, boltsand nuts 22 are used to fix the pallet assembly 8 to the carrier 2, thusproducing a carrier assembly 9 composed of the pallet and the platestack (FIGS. 39 and 40). There are four fixing positions, two each onthe right and on the left (FIGS. 39 and 40).

Thereafter, each carrier assembly 9 composed of the pallet and the platestack is contained in the container 5 (FIG. 41). In this example, thecontainer 5 accommodates, from back to front, carrier assemblies 9 a to9 e composed of stacks of various steel forms packed and fixed. Afterthe first layer of the carriers has been loaded, the erectors 21 of eachcarrier 2 are extended so that another layer of the carriers 9 composedof pallets and steel plate stacks will be piled on top. In thisembodiment, in view of an available container space and a cleanerweight, two layers of the pallet-equipped carriers loaded with the stackof steel plates are contained in the container 5. The container 5containing the stacks of steel plates 4 is transported.

(4) Methods for Unloading Stacks of Steel Plates from Container,Unpacking Stacks, and Returning Empty Pallets and Carriers

In this embodiment, the steps constituting the methods described in (3)earlier, “methods for packing stacks of steel plates, containing stacksinto container, and transporting container” are effectively reversed.

Of the two layers in the container comprising the carrier assemblies 9 athrough 9 e composed of the pallets and stacks of steel plates, the toplayer is first unloaded by a forklift. After removal of the top layer ofthe carriers 9 equipped with the pallets having the steel plates stackedthereon, the erectors of the carriers constituting the bottom layer arefolded. With all carriers taken out of the container, the bolts and nutsfixing the pallets to the carriers are removed. The pallets still loadedwith their stacked steel plates are moved either onto appropriateproduct shelves for storage or to the site of manufacture for imminentuse. The empty carriers and the bolts and nuts are held in temporarycustody, to be returned for another use.

Each pallet with the stack of steel plates fixed thereon is unpacked asfollows: the hoop bands are first cut and removed. With the hoop bandsremoved, the battens, seal guards and outer dolly blocks are taken off.After the adhesive tapes are peeled off the packing sheet, the sheet isunfolded. Then with the inner dolly blocks removed, a suitable pallet(e.g., pallet 87 of FIG. 27) is prepared on site and placed on top ofthe stack of steel plates. The plate stack with the pallet placed on topis set on the stack reversing machine. After the assembly of the palletand plate stack is turned upside down by the stack reversing machine,the pallet 1 a is removed. At this point, the pallet 1 a is empty andready to be returned. With the packing paper removed, the stack of steelplates is obtained for use (i.e., the same as the stack of FIG. 27) onthe pallet prepared on site.

Thereafter, the empty pallet 1 is fixed with bolts and nuts to the emptycarrier 2. Each empty carrier equipped with the corresponding emptypallet (the assembly may be called a set) is loaded into a container.(This container may be the one which brought the stacks of steel platesto their destination). In this embodiment, up to ten sets may be piledup in a single column. In a 20-foot container, up to 40 sets (in fourcolumns) may be loaded (FIG. 42).

The container thus loaded with the empty carriers and pallets isreturned by truck, and/or by ship to the destination (e.g., the depotfrom which the stacks of steel plates were originated). When returned,the pallets, carriers, bolts and nuts are recycled for another use.

(5) Advantages of Embodiments

The invention when embodied as described above offers the followingmajor advantages:

-   (1) Unlike conventional methods, there is no meticulously stacks of    plates using large quantities of wood materials. The invention makes    it possible easily and efficiently to pack, load, and contain the    plate stacks in a transport container, with huge savings obtained in    the man-hours required for such activities. In experiments conducted    by the inventors, while the conventional methods required two    workers 240 hours to pack and fix a given amount of plate stacks,    the inventive methods allowed one worker working only 30 minutes to    accomplish the same task.-   (2) While materials are difficult to pack by conventional methods,    the invention enables stacks of steel materials to be packed and    fixed with ease. Because each pallet allows a variety of plates to    be fixed thereto and transported thereby, the repeated use of a    single kind of pallets can handle diverse kinds of stacked steel    plates.-   (3) Only small quantities of junk and scraps are produced upon    unloading from the packing and fixing materials. Most of the    materials used for packing and fixing may be recycled for repeated    use.-   (4) Because the invention eliminates interference between stacks of    steel plates (piled one upon another and/or arranged side by side),    damage to the contained stacks is minimized in transit.-   (5) The invention makes it easier to load and unload the stacks of    steel plates to and from the container.-   (6) According to the invention, the pallets are dimensionally    standardized with respect to carriers that carry them, and these    carriers are in turn standardized dimensionally relative to a    transport container that accommodates the carriers. This arrangement    allows stacks of plates to be contained efficiently in a limited    space. It is easy to fix stacks of steel plates to pallets and the    stack-loaded pallets to the carriers. The carrier assemblies    composed of the pallets and the plate stacks are loaded just as    easily into the container. The man-hours for accomplishing these    tasks are reduced appreciably. Stacks of plates in quantities are    thus transported efficiently. This feature is particularly effective    where stacks of steel materials are to be transported overseas in    containers.-   (7) The packing sheet is a transparent or translucent sheet coated    with volatile corrosion inhibitor (VCI). The sheet allows what is    wrapped inside to be seen through. This makes it possible to inspect    from the outside the packed stacks of steel plates for correction    and other irregularities.-   (8) According to the invention, the pallets, the pallet assemblies    composed of stacks of steel plates, and the carrier assemblies    composed of the pallets together with the stacks of steel plates are    all furnished with holes that accommodate the fork tips of the    forklift truck. The structure allows these packages to be readily    handled and moved about by the forklift.

Now, FIG. 25 illustrates one example of a pallet-equipped carrier 6 asstated above. This carrier 6 has predetermined band fixing holes(substantially equal in function to the band fixing holes described inrelation to the above-stated pallets) formed on a front surface (and arear surface or one of the front and rear surfaces) of abase 61 that issubstantially equal in structure to the carriers described above).

[Pallet P2-1]

(1) Configuration of Coiled Heavy Article Pallet

A pallet P2-1 (hereinafter “coiled heavy article pallet 2”) will bedescribed in detail with reference to FIGS. 43 to 49.

This coiled heavy article pallet 2 is a pallet used to contain a coiledheavy article C (see FIG. 47, hereinafter “coil”) into a container B(see FIG. 49) that is normally referred to as “20-foot dry container”and transport the container B. This coil 2 is obtained by winding asteel plate into a coil of about 2 tons. The coil 2 has an outerperipheral surface covered with a cardboard, a vinyl sheet or the like,both column ends into which metal rings are fitted, respectively, and anouter circumference bound by a steel band (a width of about 30 mm). Theouter peripheral surface of the coil is further covered with an ironplate at need.

In the following description, if a pair of members are arranged inparallel to the axial direction of the coil, they are assumed to bearranged in front and in rear, respectively, with one being denoted by pand the other being denoted by q. Further, if a pair of members arearranged in an orthogonal direction to the axial direction thereof, theyare assumed to be arranged right and left, respectively, with one beingdenoted by a and the other being denoted by b.

The pallet 2 is made of steel and, as shown in FIGS. 43 and 44, includesa pallet main body consisting of a mount portion 2 m and leg portions 2f.

The mount portion 2 m consists of a mount portion main body 21 and apair of coil support portions 24 p and 24 q. As shown in FIGS. 44 and45, each of the coil support portions 24 p and 24 q has band throughholes 242 a and 242 b provided right and left, respectively. The bandthrough holes 242 a and 242 b differ in size, i.e., one band throughhole 115 a is longer than 242 b in the lateral direction of the pallet.Further, band through paths 241 p and 241 q are provided along the backsurfaces of the coil support portions 24 p and 24 q, respectively, toconnect the left and right band through holes 242 a and 242 b to eachother.

As shown in FIGS. 43 and 44, the coil support portions 24 p and 24 q area pair of steel plates arranged to face each other to form a trough andthereby form an inclined surface. As shown in FIGS. 43 and 45, each ofthe coil support portions 24 p and 24 q is supported by seven platesupports 245 provided perpendicularly on the mount portion main body 21.As shown in FIG. 45, each plate support 245 is a flat plate in the formof a deformed pentagon, with a bottom side fixed perpendicularly ontothe mount portion main body 21 by welding or the like and the otherthree sides fixed so as to support the coil support portion 24 frombelow.

The paired mount portions each of which supports the cylindrical sidesurface of the coil are arranged so that respective inclined surfacesface each other. Therefore, the coil can be stably mounted withoutrolling down. Since the cylindrical side surface of the coil issupported by the facing inclined surface, coils having various outsidediameters can be handled in a certain range. Since the cylindrical sidesurface of the coil is supported by the facing inclined surface, thecoil, even rocking slightly, is eventually attracted to the center ofgravity and settled down near the central position of the paired mountportions. Even if this coil is in a state in which the above-describedfixing operations are omitted, it is possible to transport the coilwithout a slippage and a damage.

As shown in FIGS. 43 and 44, each leg portion 12 is obtained byarranging legs 22 a and 22 b and arms 231 p and 231 q in parallelcrosses. Namely, the legs 22 a and 22 b are arranged in parallel, andthe arms 231 p and 231 q are arranged on the legs 22 a and 22 b at rightangle with respect to the legs 22 a and 22 b.

By taking this form, if a plurality of pallets 2 are arrangedadjacently, end portions of the adjacent legs 22 a and 22 b and arms 231p and 231 q contact each other, whereby the movement of the pallets 2can be restricted and a slippage can be suppressed. Further, a loweropen space 2 s through which carrier can be inserted into the lower,front, and rear side surfaces of the legs 2 f can be provided, whichfacilitates mounting the pallet 2 on the carrier 1.

The legs 22 a and 22 b are about 1450 mm in length, the arms 231 p and231 q are about 2250 mm in length. The legs 22 a and 22 b and the arms231 p and 231 q substantially quadrisect the pallet in the container Bincluding a gap for carrying the pallet in a longitudinal direction. Bydoing so, if the four pallets 2 are contained in the container B, only agap which does not cause slippages of the pallets 2 is left and it isunnecessary to fix the pallets 2 to the container B.

Sub-arms 232 a and 232 b are provided on the left and right lower endportions of the arms 231 p and 231 q in parallel to the arms 231 p and231 q. The sub-arms 22 a and 22 b are provided to stably mount thepallet 2 on the floor.

As shown in FIGS. 43 and 44, movement-inhibiting member guides 25 p and25 q are provided along the longitudinal directions of the coil supportportions 24 p and 24 q, respectively. On the upper side surface of eachcoil support portions 24 p and 24 q, each of the movement-inhibitingmember guides 25 p and 25 q has U-shaped notches 251. The notches 251are provided equidistantly near the both ends of each of themovement-inhibiting member guides 25 p and 25 q. Due to this, theinterval of a combination of the notches on the both ends can be changedfrom 900 to 1900 nm step by step, thereby making it possible to fix thecoil having a column length corresponding to the interval withoutcausing a slippage.

Movement-inhibiting members 26 a and 26 b used while each being matedwith the movement-inhibiting member guides 25 p and 25 q are obtained bycombining rectangular timbers together into a U shape so that regionsmated with the notches 251 projects downward of the both ends.

The movement-inhibiting members 26 a and 26 b are arranged to beinserted into the notches 251 of the mount portion 2 m so as to strideover the two coil support portions 24 p and 24 q.

(2) Method for Fixing Coiled Heavy Article to Coiled Heavy ArticlePallet

Next, a method for fixing the coil onto the coil pallet 2 will bedescribed. First, the packed coil C is mounted on the mount portion 2 mof the pallet 2 using a lift, a large-sized forklift or the like. Atthis time, the coil C is mounted on the mount portion 2 m so that theaxis of the coil C is parallel to the floor surface and both ends of theaxis are located on left and right of the pallet 2, respectively.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 46, binding bands 61 and a fixing band 62are employed to fix the coil 2 onto the mount portion 2 m. One end ofone fixing band 62 is inserted into the axial hole of the coil C, andthen inserted into the band through path 114 through the band throughhole 115 b. Through the band through hole 115 b, the one end is pulledout from the band through hole 115 a and connected to the other end ofthis fixing band 62. The binding band 61 is used to fixedly bind thecoil C and the pallet 2 together to be integral with each other.

Further, the movement-inhibiting members 26 a and 26 b are inserted intoand fixed to the notches 251 on the both sides of themovement-inhibiting member guides 25 p and 25 q so as to put the leftand right of the coil C between the movement-inhibiting members 26 a and26 b.

By thus mounting the coil C on the pallet 2, the fixing band 62 and themovement-inhibiting members 26 a and 26 b prevent the fixed coil C (seeFIG. 47) from being moved laterally relative to the pallet 2. Inaddition, the coil support portions 24 p and 24 q and the binding band61 between which the front and rear curved surfaces of the coil C areput, can prevent the coil C from being detached from the pallet 2 inlongitudinal direction. The carrier such as the carrier 1 or the cranecan be employed for the pallet 2. Due to this, cargo work can be carriedout without directly contacting with the coil C.

(3) Carry-In and Carry-Out Method and Containing Structure for CoiledHeavy Article Pallet

The pallet 2 on which the coil C is thus mounted can be carried on alevitation carrier 1 as shown in FIGS. 48 and 54 to 64.

As shown in FIGS. 48 and 54 to 56, this carrier 1 includes a supportbase 11 for lifting the pallet 2 loaded with the coil C, and an airbearing 12 which is provided on the lower surface of the support base 11and which emits a compressed air toward the floor surface at apredetermined pressure. The carrier 1 can, therefore, float the supportbase 11 by this emitted air while the pallet 2 loaded with the coil C ismounted on the support base 11.

This carrier 1 may include a plurality of the above-stated air bearings12, valves which are provided at the respective bearings 12 and whichregulate the emitted air flow rate of the air bearings 12, and anoperation pipe 143 which can simultaneously control openings of theplural valves. By operating the operation pipe 143, the carrier 1 cancontrol a detailed attitude of the support base 11.

As shown in FIGS. 55 and 56, if the compressed air is blown out fromnozzles (see FIGS. 57 and 58) of balloon portions 122 provided on thefour air bearings 12 provided on the lower surface of the support base11 toward the ground, the levitated carrier 1 is levitated by thepressure of the blown air. This carrier 1 can set a coefficient offriction between the device 1 and the ground to be very low by beinglevitated. Therefore, even if the pallet 2 loaded with the coil ofseveral tons is mounted on the support base 11, the pallet 2 can beeasily carried manually.

As shown in FIG. 49, this carrier 1 can be inserted into the lower openspace 2 s to thereby support the pallet 2 and carry the pallet 2 in andout of the container B or the like. By doing so, the pallet 2 can bestably carried. Since the carrier 1 is available, a high ceilingnecessary for suspension becomes unnecessary. Due to this, the pallet 2can be easily carried in and out of even the dry container having noopening portions on the ceiling.

FIG. 49 illustrates a state in which the pallet 2 loaded with the coil Cis contained in the container B. Namely, the four pallets 2 each loadedwith the coil C are contained in the container B in a depth direction sothat end portions of the legs 22 a and 22 b of the pallets 2 contactwith one another.

By standardizing the size of the bottom of each pallet 2 so as toquadrisect the bottom of the container B, it is possible to arrange thefour pallets 2 so that the combined sizes of the bottoms of the pallets2 are coincident with the size of the bottom of the container B even ifthe pallets 2 are contained thereinto at random. Furthermore, even ifsome of the pallets 2 are pallets 2′ each provided with amount portion 2m′ for mounting a coil C′ different in size from the coil C, no problemoccurs.

By thus containing the pallets 2 into the container B, gaps between theinner wall of the container B and the respective pallets 2 are almosteliminated. Therefore, even if the container B is in transit, slippagesof the pallets 2 hardly occur. Further, simply by carrying the pallets 2into and out of the container B, there is no need to carry outoperations for fixing and removing the coil C and the pallets 2, makingit possible to carry out the cargo work in short time. Even if thepallets 2 are shifted within a range of the gap for carrying, theslippage can be prevented by the arrangement of the legs 22 a and 22 barranged in parallel crosses.

With this pallet 2, there is no need to fix the pallet 2 to thecontainer B using wood materials or the like. Since the pallet 2 itselfis made of steel, water-containing matters (wood materials or the like)can be eliminated from the interior of the container B and dews can bethereby prevented from being condensed in the container B. Due to this,as long as a low humidity state can be maintained at the time of sealingthe container B which contains the pallets 2 each loaded with the coilC, the interior of the container B can be kept at low humidity intransit without the need of providing a dehumidifier and the coil C canbe prevented from being rusted.

[Pallet P2-2]

(1) Configuration of Coiled Heavy Article Pallet

A pallet P2-2 (hereinafter, “coiled heavy article pallet 2”) will bedescribed with reference to FIGS. 59 to 67. This coiled heavy articlepallet 2 is substantially equal in configuration to the pallet P2-1except that the pallet 2 includes movement-inhibiting members, pileupsupport portions, and the like.

First, as shown in FIGS. 59 to 62, the coiled heavy article pallet 2 inthis embodiment has side end guides 233 a and 233 b in place of thesub-arms 232 a and 232 b formed on tip ends of the sub-arms 231 p and231 q.

As shown in FIGS. 60 and 61, the side end guides 233 a and 233 b are rodmembers with both ends of each of the side end guides 233 a and 233 bconnected to the tip ends of the sub-arms 231 p and 231 q and spreadinglongitudinally. The interval between the outsides of the side end guides233 a and 233 b are set several centimeters smaller than the width ofthe internal space of the container. Due to this, similarly to thesub-legs 232 a and 232 b, the side end guides 233 a and 233 b preventthe coiled heavy article pallet 2 from being moved laterally.

As shown in FIGS. 59 and 60, front and rear outsides of the side endguides 233 a and 233 b are tapered. Namely, as shown in FIG. 60, eachside guide is narrower on front and rear ends. Therefore, even if thepallet is contained into the container with either the sub-arm 231 pside or 231 q side being faced front, the pallet can be easily containedinto the container without the need of delicate positioning.

The levitation carrier 1 is employed particularly in this embodiment.Due to this, if front end portions of the side end guides 233 a and 233b contact with the inner wall of the container B with quite a weakforce, tracks of the guides 233 a and 233 b are corrected accordingly,so that the coiled heavy article pallet 2 can be contained into thecontainer without damaging equipment.

A plurality of notches 231 k are provided in angular portions on thelower surface of a base plate 21. The notches 231 k are provided tocause the binding band 61 to pass through. The binding band 61 is hardlycut and slid laterally because the band 61 does not directly strikeagainst the corners of the sub-arms 231 p and 231 q.

The coiled heavy article pallet 2 in this embodiment has coil end fixingmechanisms. A pair of coil end fixing mechanisms, each of which consistsof a slide rail 27 and a movement-inhibiting member 28, are providedright and left, respectively. Namely, as shown in FIGS. 59, 60, 62, and63, a pair of slide rails 27 a and 27 b are arranged in parallel to andbetween coil support portions 24 p and 24 q provided on the base plate21. These slide rails 27 a and 27 b extend outward from positions atwhich they face each other to the side end guides 233 a and 233 b with adistance of 40 cm kept therebetween.

The slide rails 27 a and 27 b have movement-inhibiting members 28 a and28 b built slidably, respectively. Upper ends of the movement-inhibitingmembers 28 a and 28 b are either lower than or equal in height to theupper ends of the coil support portions 24 p and 24 q, respectively. Theupper ends may be either built vertically or curved outward.

The movement-inhibiting members 28 a and 28 b include bolts thatpenetrate through the members 28 a and 28 b and oriented to the sliderails 27 a and 27 b, respectively. Blocks are contained in therespective slide rails 27 a and 27 b, and bolt holes are formed at thecenter of the blocks. By turning the bolts to couple the bolts to theblocks, the blocks are raised upward and abut against the lower surfacesof the upper frames of the slide rails, whereby the movement-inhibitingmembers 28 a and 28 b can be fixed to the slide rails 27 a and 27 b,respectively.

As described above, the coiled heavy article pallet 2 includes themovement-inhibiting members 28 a and 28 b. Due to this, if the coil ismounted on the inclined surfaces of the coil support portions 24 p and24 q with the cylindrical side surface of the coil grounded, the coilend surfaces can be put between the movement-inhibiting members 28 a and28 b and thereby fixed thereto.

The movement-inhibiting members 28 a and 28 b are provided slidably onthe respective slide rails 27 a and 27 b and can be fixed atpredetermined positions using the bolts. Therefore, the pallet 2 canhandle coils of various widths. Each slide rail extends from theposition at which the rail is put between the mount portions toward aposition exceeding the end of the mount portion. Due to this, the pairedmovement-inhibiting members 28 a and 28 b can handle either the coiledheavy article narrower than the mount portion or the coiled heavyarticle wider than the mount portion and put the end surfaces of thearticle therebetween.

As shown in FIGS. 59 to 63, the coiled heavy article pallet 2 has pileupsupport portions 29 provided on the legs 22 a and 22 b to put the arms231 p and 231 q therebetween.

The pileup support portions 29 are columnar members, and a total of fourpileup support portions 29 are provided to put the arms 231 p and 231 qtherebetween on the legs 22 a and 22 b. The lower end of each pileupsupport portion 29 has a lower end surface that penetrates the leg 22 aor 22 b and formed to be concave, with the lower end surface beinglocated at a position substantially coincident with a bottom surface(lower end surface) of the leg 22 a or 22 b, and the upper end thereofis connected to a front or rear end surface of the coil support portion24 p or 24 q by an auxiliary column 291. Further, the lower end of thepileup support portion 29 is located at a position substantiallycoincident with the lower end surface of the leg 22 a or 22 b and theupper end thereof is located several centimeters higher than an upperend of the coil support portion 24 p or 24 q. The upper end surface ofthe pileup support member 29 is formed spherically convex and the lowerend surface thereof is formed spherically concave.

The coiled heavy article pallets 2 in this embodiments can be piled upby the pileup support portions 29. That is, the coiled heavy articlepallets 2 in this embodiments can be piled up so that the lower ends ofthe four pileup support portions 29 of the next coiled heavy articlepallet 2 are put on the upper ends of the four pileup support portions29 of the coiled heavy article pallet 2 put on the floor. Therefore,after carrying the heavy articles, many empty pallets can be piled up tomake them compact and then returned.

Further, by positioning the pallets relative to the approximatepositions of the pileup support portions, the positions of the palletscan be automatically adjusted and the pallets can be easily piled upwithout strict positioning. In addition, during pileup, it is difficultto cause slippages of the pallets. Since the upper surfaces of thepileup support portions are spherically convex and the lower surfacesthereof are spherically concave, less dust and the like collect on theupper and lower surfaces and do not deteriorate the stability of thepallets.

(2) Method for Fixing Coiled Heavy Article to Coiled Heavy ArticlePallet

To fix the coil to the coiled heavy article pallet 2 in this embodiment,the packed coil C is first mounted on the inclined surfaces of the coilsupport portions 24 p and 24 q as shown in FIGS. 64 and 65. Thereafter,as shown in FIGS. 65 and 66, the coil C is fixed to the coiled heavyarticle pallet 2 so as to be integral with the pallet 2 by binding thecoil C and the pallet 2 in a direction perpendicular to the axis of thecoil C using the binding band 61. At that time, the binding band 61 isarranged to pass through the notches 231 k formed in the angularportions on the lower surface of the base plate 21.

Thereafter, the movement-inhibiting members 28 a and 28 b are moved onthe slide rails 27 a and 27 b, respectively and, as shown in FIG. 66,arranged to put the both end surfaces of the coil C therebetween. Usingthe bolts, the positions of the members 28 a and 28 b are fixed.

As shown in FIG. 66, the coil C thus fixedly mounted onto the coiledheavy article pallet 2 is inhibited from being moved laterally relativeto the coiled heavy article pallet 2 by the movement-inhibiting members28 a and 28 b. In addition, the coil support portions 24 p and 24 q,between which the front and rear curved surfaces of the coil C are put,and the binding band 61 can prevent the coil C from being slippedrelative to the coiled heavy article pallet 2. Accordingly, as shown inFIG. 67, the coil C can be hung up by a tongue or the like and movedtogether with the coiled heavy article pallet 2.

To take out the fixing band in the band through path from the bandthrough hole, a band ejection tool 244 as shown in FIGS. 50 and 51 isprovided. Using the band ejection tool 244, the fixing band can beeasily taken out from the band through hole. Since this band ejectiontool 244 is flat, the end portions of the band through path 241 can bemade inclined and the fixing band 62 can be prevented from beinginserted into locations where the band 62 is unnecessary in the bandthrough path by using the tool 244 to be fixedly inserted into a fixedhole 243 provided in the band through hole 241.

Furthermore, if the movement-inhibiting members can sufficiently inhibitthe movement of the coil, it is unnecessary to fix the coil using thefixing band. In this case, as shown in FIG. 53, the band through pathand the band through hole can be eliminated from the pallet.

Alternatively, the pileup support portions employed in the pallet P2-2may be applied to the pallet P2-1 and the notches 231 k provided in thebase plate 21 may be provided in the base plate related to the palletP2-1. Further, the sub-arms 231 p and 231 q used in the pallet P2-1 maybe tapered to prevent the equipment from being damaged similarly to thepallet P2-2.

As shown in FIG. 52, the mount portion 2 m and the leg portions 2 f ofthe coiled heavy article pallet 2 in this embodiment can be separatedfrom each other. Such a separable pallet can dispense with the legportions by preparing a mount portion including appropriate coil supportportions according to the size of the coil. By preparing leg portionsaccording to the size of the container 5, the pallet including the mountportion which has a common form and a common size can be used.

The pallet can be carried not only by the carrier but also by the othercarrier which has been conventionally, ordinarily used, such as a craneor a large-sized forklift. Even if such a conventional carrier is used,the pallet can be stably carried without contact with the coil on thepallet by inserting tips or the like from the lower open space tosupport the pallet.

For reference, a cylindrical heavy article, a columnar heavy article orthe like which is uncoiled, i.e., consists of a single formed article,or a heavy article assembly or the like obtained by binding one rodheavy article or a rod member can be used in place of the coiled heavyarticle. The form of the pallet mount portion used in this case can bearbitrarily selected as long as the heavy article to be used can beloaded on the pallet.

[Pallet P3]

A pallet P3 (hereinafter, “carry-in, carry-out pallet 7”) will bedescribed with reference to the drawings. This pallet is ageneral-purpose pallet for containers.

In the embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 68 and 69, the application to acase where a dry container (the following are abbreviated to container2) is placed on the ground at a specified point in a harbor containeryard and article loading is performed for this container 2 placed on theground.

An introducing/discharging device 3 for introducing or discharging aarticle introducing/discharging pallet according to this invention isprovided at a specified location where a freight container 2 is placed.The introducing/discharging device 3 is constituted approximatelysimilar to prior art, and consists of a stage 5 having a floor 5 a witha height approximately equal to the height of a floor 4 of the container2 placed on the ground, and first and second sliding means 8 and 27 thatsupports a introducing/discharging pallet 7 slightly above the floors 5a and 2 a between the stage 5 and the container 2, and a pair of firstdisplacement means 9 (which is shown herein as “displacement means”)that move the introducing/discharging pallet 7 in theintroducing/discharging direction of the article 6 (shown by the arrow Pin FIG. 68 and FIG. 69) by applying a displacing force. The stage 5 ofthe introducing/discharging device 3 is equipped with a pair of seconddisplacement means 10 that displaces said second sliding means 27between the stage 5 and the container 2.

(1) Configuration of Introducing/Discharging Pallet

Said introducing/discharging pallet 7 comprises a pallet main body 70and connecting means to be described later as shown in FIGS. 70 through72. The pallet main body 70 comprises three equally spaced beam-likebase members 111 and multiple platform members 12 orthogonally arrangedand affixed on said beam-like base members 11 in order to load saidarticle 6 directly, thus forming a grid like structure having arectangular article carrying surface with a larger width than the depthin the introducing direction of the article. The depth dimension of saidintroducing/discharging pallet 7 is set to a dimension, for example,approximately equal to one fourth of the depth length of a dry containerwith a total length of 20 feet and a width dimension of saidintroducing/discharging pallet 7 is set to a dimension approximating thewidth of the dry container.

Several load bearing members 13 are affixed on the back surface of saidplatform members 12 of the introducing/discharging pallet 7 betweenadjacent beam-like base members 11, and a specified space S is formedunderneath the load bearing members 13. The first and second slidingmeans 8 and 27 can be stored in said space S (shown in FIG. 71 and FIG.72). Connecting means 14 are provided at four corners of theintroducing/discharging pallet 7 for connecting with otherintroducing/discharging pallets similarly modularized as theintroducing/discharging pallet 7.

Said load bearing members 13, as shown in FIG. 71, perform the functionas support for weights of said platform members 12 plus the weight ofthe article 6 by abutting with the top parts of the first and secondsliding means 8 and 7 when the first and second sliding means 8 and 27installed on the stage 5 support the introducing/discharging pallet 7from underneath, and the rail when the introducing/discharging pallet 7slides over the first and second sliding means 8 and 27.

The introducing/discharging pallet 7 can be equipped with fasteningpieces 100, as shown in FIG. 73(a), with fastening holes provided on thetop. The fastening pieces 100 are provided in a space defined by a pairof adjacent platform members 12 and restricting plates 101 attached tothe top surface of each platform member 12. Therefore, the fasteningpieces 100 are slidable along the longitudinal direction of the platformmembers 12 and are prevented from being pulled out upward by therestricting plates 101. When a machine tool is to be loaded as thearticle 106 on the introducing/discharging pallet 7, the fasteningpieces 100 are moved to slide to proper positions to align with throughholes formed on an anchor frame 66 of said machine tool so that thefastening pieces 100 and the anchor frame 66 can be fastened by screws.In order to supplement fastening pieces 100, it is also possible to useclamping pieces 103, each of which having an oblong hole 102 as shown inFIG. 73(b) adjusting said clamping pieces 103 along the platform members12 as well as in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal directionof the platform members 12.

While it is possible to use said connecting means 14 of arbitrary typesas long as they can connect multiple modularized introducing/dischargingpallets 7, a combination type shown in FIG. 74 is used in thisembodiment consisting of a pair of stepped block base members 16 a and16 b, which are welded and fixed to both ends of said beam-like basemembers 11 on the outside of each corner of the introducing/dischargingpallet 7, a plate-like connecting member 17 that connects the steppedblock base members 16 a and 16 b on the outside of theintroducing/discharging pallets 7, and two bolts 18 a and 18 b that fixthe ends of the connecting member 17 onto the stepped block base members16 a and 16 b.

However, said connecting means 14 is not limited to such a combinationtype, but rather various other types can be used: for example, a typewhere a dumbbell-shaped connecting member 17 is dropped into latchingparts 19 a and 19 b of the block base members 16 a and 16 b on the topside of the introducing/discharging pallet 7 to connect multipleintroducing/discharging pallet 7 in order to form a pallet combinationunit according to the present invention as shown in FIG. 75; or a typewhere a chain-like connecting member 17 is used, both ends of whichbeing engaged with hook-like latching parts 19 a (not shown) and 19 bprovided on the block base members 16 a and 16 b as shown in FIG. 76. Ineither case, the connecting means 14, in particular, connecting member17, bolts 18 a and 18 b, latching parts 19 a and 19 b, etc., are builtinto the introducing/discharging pallet 7 in such a way as not toprotrude outside of the outer beam-like base members 11 of theintroducing/discharging pallet 7, and the connection and disconnectionof the connecting member 17 with the block members 16 a and 16 b enableconnection and disconnection of multiple units, that is, 2, 3 or 4 unitsof introducing/discharging pallets 7.

Multiple units of introducing/discharging pallets 7 are connected bymeans of said connecting means 14 to form a pallet combination unit 7Aas shown in FIG. 77, and the article 6 is loaded on the palletcombination unit 7A. Various forms of loading are possible here, forexample: a single unit or multiple units of article 6 can be loaded on asingle introducing/discharging pallet 7, which is a component of thepallet combination unit 7A; or a single or multiple units of article 6are laid out over the entire pallet combination unit 7A connectingintroducing/discharging pallets 7.

The mode of loading various articles on the pallet combination unit 7Awill be described below. As shown in FIG. 78(a), if the article 6 isheavy and bulky, a single piece of article 6 is loaded over four unitsof introducing/discharging pallets 7 that constitute the palletcombination unit 7A. Also, if the article's size is equivalent to onehalf of the total length of the container 2, each pieces of article ismounted across the two adjacent pallets in tandem (not shown). If thearticle 6 consists of long steel pipes, or something similar, which areslightly longer than the total length of the container 2, the articlecan be loaded in a tilted position using proper supports 110 as shown inFIG. 78(b). Also, if the article 6 is a long object but is slightlyshorter than the total length of the container 2, the article 6 can bearranged at an angle and in two rows on the pallet combination unit 7A,the two rows overlapping each other according to the length as shown inFIG. 78(c). The supports 110 provided on the pallet combination unit 7Aprevent long article from flying out in the transportation direction P.The supports 110 are supported by slide rails 112 and can slide alongthe rail, while slide limiting members 111 are adjustable along thelongitudinal direction.

If there is a concern that the article 6 may be disrupted on theintroducing/discharging pallet 7 during a long trip of the container 2,female screws 21 a and 21 b can be provided on said block base members16 a and 16 b as shown in FIG. 79 and hooks 22 a and 22 b are screwedinto those female screws 21 a and 21 b, so that the article 6 can befixed via hooks 22 a and 22 b using lashing materials 20 such as fixingropes, wires, and nets as shown in FIG. 78(a). These female screws 21 aand 21 b as well as hooks 22 a and 22 b can be used for lifting theintroducing/discharging pallet 7 with a crane as well. As shown in FIG.79, in covering the top surfaces of the block base members 16 a and 16 bwith rectangular tube-like platform members 12, or covering the gaps oftube-like platform members 12 with another plate-like member 23, it isalso possible to provide through-holes 24 a and 24 b in said rectangulartube-like platform members 12, and interpose short tube-like guidemembers 26 in cavities 25 of said rectangular tube-like platform members12 in order to screw the hooks 22 a and 22 b into the female screws 21 aand 21 b of the block base members 16 a and 16 b by guiding the ends ofthe female screws 21 a and 21 b through those through-holes 24 a and 24b.

(2) Configuration of Introducing/Discharging Device

The first and second sliding means 8 and 27 for carrying said palletcombination unit 7A will first be described. As shown in FIGS. 80 and81, each of the first and second sliding means 8 and 27 includes asliding unit which supports the introducing/discharging pallet 7 frombelow, and an lifting means for lifting up and down the sliding unit. Inthis embodiment, a roller conveyor 35 is used as the sliding unit, andan expanding/contracting member 31 which expands or contracts by the airis used as the lifting means. Said roller conveyor 35 consists of a base28 having a generally U-shaped longitudinal section, a support member 29dropped into the base 28 and having the same generally U-shapedlongitudinal section, and a plurality of rollers 30 attached to saidsupport member 29 at predetermined intervals at their axes. Theexpanding/contracting member 31 consists of a synthetic fibercode-reinforced tube 32 and a vent pipe 33 for introducing compressedair into the tube 32. If the compressed air is introduced into the tube32, the tube 32 expands to push up said support member 29. If thecompressed air that is introduced into the tube 32 is withdrawn from thetube, the tube 32 is crushed flat by the weights of the support member29 and the rollers 30 to thereby lower the support member 29.

Plate stoppers 34 a protruded inward horizontally are attached to theinterior of said base 28, and stopper plates 34 b equal in form to thestoppers 34 a are attached to the exterior of said support member 29. Ifsaid tube 32 is expanded to raise the support member 29, said stopperplates 34 b abut on the respective stoppers 34 a, thus raising saidsupport member 29 only up to a predetermined height position.

In this embodiment, a combination of said roller conveyor 35 and thefirst displacement means 9 realizes a carrying function of floating thepallet combination unit 7A from the floor and moving the unit 7A forwardand backward of a carrying direction. This carrying function may berealized only by the roller conveyor 35 without using the firstdisplacement means 9. In this case, the roller conveyor 35 constitutedso that at least one roller among the plural rollers 30 rotates on itsown axis by a driving motor (a hydraulic motor, an air motor, anelectric motor or the like) or is driven by an external motor isappropriately used.

The first displacement means can be constituted as shown in FIG. 82 byconnecting multiple of rectangular cylindrical struts 43 a, 43 b and 43c with different cross section sizes in a telescopic manner, andinstalling extending rods 45 a and 45 b that can extend or contract bymeans of hydraulic cylinders 44 a and 44 b inside the struts, so thatthe struts 43 a, 43 b and 43 c can extend or contract by means ofextending and contracting the extending rods 45 a and 45 b.

Said stage 5 can be a grid-like structure, as shown in FIG. 83 and FIG.84, consisting of a rectangular frame-like base member 36 made of shapedsteels, short side base members 37 that are assembled parallel to shortside frame-like base members 36 a of the frame-like base member 36,upper long side base members 38 that are assembled above the short sidebase members 37 and parallel with long side frame-like base members 36 bof the frame-like base member 36, and lower long side base members 39that that are assembled below the short side base members 37 andparallel with long side frame-like base members 36 b.

The stage 5 has an area approximately equal to that of the floor 2 a ofthe container 2 and is constructed so as to accumulate structuresconnecting four introducing/discharging pallets 7. An installation areaB for installing the first displacement means 9 is provided in the frontarea that is adjacent to the opening 2 a of the container 2 and reararea that is opposite 2 a. An installation area C for installing thefirst displacement means 9 and others is provided close to the long sidebase frame member 36 b. An installation area D for installing the firstand second sliding means 8 and 27 and others for the entire area of thestage 5 are provided.

In addition, level adjusting means 40 are provided at the corner offrame-like base member 36, the cross point between the long side framebase members 36 b and the short side base members 37, and the crosspoint between the short side base members 37 and the upper long sidebase members 39 so as to adjust the horizontal level of stage 5 to thefloor 2 a of the container 2. Stopper members 41 and 42 are provided onthe outside of the long side frame members 36 b and between theinstallation area B and the rear installation area D of theintroducing/discharging pallet 7 so as to prevent theintroducing/discharging pallet 7 from extending out of the stage 5.

(3) Function of Introducing and Discharging by Introducing/DischargingPallet and Device

The operations of introducing and discharging the article 6 to/from thecontainer 2 using of a pallet combination unit 7A formed by connectingfour introducing/discharging pallets 7 of said introducing/dischargingdevice 3 and 4 with connecting means 14 will be described below withreference to FIG. 85 through FIG. 86. The container 2 has arrived at thedestination by transportation means such as a container truck, freightcar, or ship, etc., and the pallet combination unit 7A inside thecontainer 2 is loaded with the article 6. However, in some cases, theremay be no article 6 on the pallet combination unit 7A inside thecontainer 2.

First, the container 2 introduced with the pallet 7A loaded with thearticle 6 is transferred to the ground using a crane, etc., as shown inFIG. 85(a). Simultaneously, the container 2 is so positioned that itsopening 4 is aligned with the leading edge of the stage 5 on theintroducing/discharging device 3. The second sliding means 27 on thestage 5 is pushed into the container 2 by means of the seconddisplacement means 10 and stored into the space S of the palletcombination unit 7A placed on the floor 2 a of the container 2 (shown inFIG. 72(b)). Next, compressed air is supplied into the tubes 35 of thefirst and second sliding means 8 and 17 to lift the roller conveyor 35.The pallet combination unit 7A will then be supported by the rollerconveyor 35 via the load bearing members 13 and the spacers 15, and itsbeam-like base members 11 will lift off the floor 2 a of the container 2(shown in FIG. 72(a)).

Next, as shown in FIG. 85(b), the leading edge of the first displacementmeans 9 is latched in the extended condition with the pallet combinationunit 7A, and contracts the first displacement means 9 to pull out thepallet combination unit 7A, sliding on the roller conveyor 35, out ofthe container 2 onto the stage 5. The article 6 transferred on thepallet combination unit 7A, which has been moved onto the stage 5, isthe lifted using a crane, etc., to be placed on a specified position asshown in FIG. 85(c). When all of the article 6 have been transferred,the supports 110 attached to the introducing/discharging pallet 7 areremoved, replace these supports shaped corresponding to the article 6 tobe loaded next and mount hooks used for nets, ropes or the like forfastening article.

Next, as shown in FIG. 86(d), the next article 6 is transferred to thepallet combination unit 7A on the stage 5 using a crane, etc. As shownin FIG. 87(a), the article 6 scheduled to be transported is laid outaround the stage 5 in such a way that the article 6 can be distributedon the pallet combination unit 7A in a proper balance considering itsweight and shape.

Next, as shown in FIG. 86(e), the leading edge of the first displacementmeans 9 is latched in the contracted condition to the pallet combinationunit 7A, and extends the first displacement means 9 to push the palletcombination unit 7A, sliding on the roller conveyor 35, into thecontainer 2 from the stage 5. When the pallet combination unit 7A iscompletely introduced into the container 2 as shown in FIG. 86(f), thesupply of the compressed air is stopped to the tube 35 of the first andsecond sliding means 8 and 27 to lower the roller conveyor 35. Then, thepallet combination unit 7A is relieved from the support by the rollerconveyor 35, the beam-like base members 11 rests on the floor 2 a of thecontainer 2 (shown in FIG. 72(b)). Next, the second sliding means 27 onthe floor 2 a of the container 2 is pulled out using the seconddisplacement means 10 to the original stage 5, and transfers thecontainer 2 to the side of the transportation means from a positionclose to the stage 5 using a crane, etc., thus completing the series ofintroducing/discharging operations.

(4) Advantages of Embodiment

Consequently, the embodiment makes it possible to conductintroducing/discharging operations of the article 6 between thecontainer 2 and the stage 5 using the pallet combination unit 7A, whichis formed by connecting multiple pallets by means of the connectingmeans 14, so that the number of processes of introducing/discharging thearticle 6 can be reduced depending on the number of connectedintroducing/discharging pallets, thus making the introducing/dischargingoperations more efficient. Moreover, in transporting the container 2 bytransportation means such as a truck, freight car, ship, etc., thearticle 6 can be made more stable inside the container 2 as theintroducing/discharging pallet is relatively larger. Further, since theheavy and bulky article 6 is loaded on the pallet combination unit 7A onthe stage 5, not only can the introducing operation of the article 6 tothe container 2 be done more smoothly, but also theintroducing/discharging pallet 7 can be prevented from being overintroduced and the leading and trailing ends of the article 6 can beprevented from sticking out and hitting the inner wall of the container2.

In the embodiment, after the article 6 introduced in the container 2 isdischarged at the destination of the transported container, the emptiedpallet combination unit 7A can be reused to introduce the article 6 tobe transported to the next destination into the container 2 fortransporting to the next destination or for shipping back to theoriginal sender, so that there is no need to return the empty palletcombination unit 7A, thus reducing transportation costs and improvingtransportation efficiency.

It also makes it possible to arrange the next group of article 6 in theplanned introducing sequence surrounding the stage 5 in advance, checkthe sequence easily and securely, and manage the article 6 more easily.Since introducing/discharging of the article 6 is carried out while thecontainer 2 is placed on the ground, it is possible to maintain thecontainer 2 in a stable leveled condition even if a heavy article isintroduced, eliminating an otherwise cumbersome container levelingprocess. It also enables introducing of heavy and bulky article (such aslarge machine tools, large glass products, masonry products, andautomobiles) which have been impossible or extremely cumbersome tointroduce into a dry container 2.

It is also possible not to use said introducing/discharging device 3 atthe destination of transportation, but rather prepare at least one pairof sliding means, insert said sliding means to the floor 2 a of thecontainer 2 resting on the ground through the lower opening space S ofthe introducing/discharging pallet 7, pull out the frontintroducing/discharging pallet 7 using a forklift, etc., withdraw thenext and all other pallets 7 to the area near the opening 4 of thecontainer 2 one by one using wires, etc., and pull out each pallet oneby one using a forklift, etc., outside the container 2.

Although it was suggested in the embodiment that the same palletcombination unit 7A is carried inside the container at all times,discharging and introducing of article is carried out in sequence usingthe same pallet combination unit 7A at the transportation destination,or the container carrying the empty pallet combination unit 7A isshipped to the next destination after the article is unloaded at thedestination, it does not need to be limited to such schemes, but ratherthe pallet combination unit 7A can be unloaded together with the article6 at the destination. In such a case, it is possible to prepare palletcombination units 7A loaded with article 6 to be shipped next placingaround the stage 5 as shown in FIG. 87(b). Also, by disconnecting theconnecting means 14 of a pallet combination unit 7A pulled out from acontainer 2, article carried on each introducing/discharging pallet 7can be individually controlled or transferred.

The stage 5 can also be used for a line operation. That is, a packagingline that can transfer the introducing/discharging pallet 7 or thepallet combination unit 7A is sequentially installed in the stage 5,whereby it is possible to conduct loading of article on theintroducing/discharging pallet 7 or the pallet combination unit 7A,fastening of article, or preparation work for the article to be shippednext on this packaging line.

Although it was assumed in the embodiment to lower the container 2 fromthe transportation means to the ground using a crane, etc., theinvention is not to be limited to this. For example, if a containertruck is used as the transportation means, the side lifter of thecontainer truck can be used to bring the container 2 down to the ground.It is also possible to have a transportation machine 7P installed nearthe introducing/discharging device 3 as shown in FIG. 89, it is possibleto lower the container 2 from the chassis R of the container truck T tothe ground using the transportation machine 7P.

Although in the embodiment it was assumed to conduct theintroducing/discharging operation between the container 2 resting on theground and the stage 5, the invention is not limited to this. Forexample, it is possible to provide a stage 55 with a floor heightapproximately matching the height of the floor 2 a of the container 2 asit is loaded on a container truck 52, and conduct theintroducing/discharging operation of the pallet combination unit betweenthe stage 55 and the container 2 on the truck 52.

[Pallet P4]

A pallet P4 (hereinafter, “pallet P”) will be described with referenceto the drawings. This pallet is a pallet for transporting a heavyarticle formed by winding a steel wire rod.

In this embodiment, a container A (see FIG. 101) which is normallyreferred to as “dry container of 40 feet” is employed as a container. Inthis embodiment, as a coiled carrying article, a coiled carrying articleC (see FIG. 101) formed by winding a wire rod made of metal (e.g.,stainless steel or steel) with a predetermined number of turns andhaving a weight of about 2 t is employed. The diameter D of thiscarrying article C is set at about 1200 to 1300 mm to be not less thanhalf of the width of the container A. In addition, the outer and innerperipheral sides of the carrying article C are bound with a plurality ofsteel bands (or resin bands). In this embodiment, a forklift F (see FIG.99) is exemplified as a transport means for transporting a pallet.

(1) Configuration of Coiled Carrying Article Pallet

A pallet for a coiled carrying article according to the presentinvention is a pallet which is employed to store a carrying article inthe container A and to transport the article. This pallet P is made ofsteel and consists of a pallet main body 1, and mount sections 2 whichare provided on the pallet main body 1 as shown in FIGS. 90 to 93.

The pallet main body 1 includes an abutment frame section 3 (which isshown herein as “an abutment section”) which can abut on the inner wallof the container A and other pallets P, and a leg section 4 which isprovided in the inner region of the abutment frame section 3. Thisabutment frame section 3 is formed as a regular octagonal ring-likeframe as a whole by preparing eight square pipe-like frame basematerials 13 equal in outside dimension and fixing the end portions ofthese frame base materials 13 to one another by welding or the like. Theplane dimension of this abutment frame section 3 basically has a regularoctagonal shape which includes a circular region on the axial end faceside of the carrying article C and is set to be able to contain apredetermined number of (twelve) pallets P in the container A as will bedescribed later (see FIGS. 90 and 101).

In addition, the leg section 4 is formed by forming a pair of squarepipe-like leg base materials 14 a and a pair of leg base materials 14 binto a well crib-like frame. The end portions of these pairs of leg basematerials 14 a and 14 b are fixed to the inner surfaces of the framebase materials 13 by welding or the like. The paired leg base materials14 a are set to have a length protruding downward from the lower surfaceof the abutment frame section 3. A pair of auxiliary base materials 16are provided at predetermined intervals to be fixed to the lowersurfaces of the left and right frame base materials 13 which areparallel to the paired base materials 14 a. The leg base materials 14 aand the auxiliary base materials 16 enable the pallet P to stably landon the ground or the floor face of the container A.

In addition, the protrusion quantity h1 of each leg base material 14 aby which the leg base material 14 a protrudes downward from the lowersurface of the abutment frame section is set to be slightly larger thanthe height h2 of the mount section 2. Moreover, the distance w1 of apair of leg base material 14 a is set slightly larger than a lateralwidth of a mount section 2 (see FIG. 91). Further, the distance jbetween the paired auxiliary base material 16 is set to be slightlylarger than the width j2 of a central mount base material 17 whichconstitutes the mount section 2 (see FIG. 92).

Notches 10 with such a size as to insert the pawls 8 of a forklift Fthereinto are formed halfway along the paired leg base materials 14 a. Alower open space 5 which includes notch spaces formed by the notches 10is formed below the abutment frame section 3. This lower open space 5 isa space in which the lower portion of the pallet main body 1 and thelongitudinal and lateral directions thereof (vertical and lateraldirections in FIG. 90) are opened. By inserting the pawls 8 of theforklift F into the lower open space 5, the pallet P is floated andtransported. By thus making the lower open space 5 into a space whichhas four open sides in the longitudinal and lateral directions, it ispossible to improve the degree of freedom for a transport direction inwhich the forklift F transports the pallet P and particularly toappropriately transport the pallet P on which carrying article C isloaded by an inverting machine to be described later.

Further, as shown in FIG. 94, if no carrying article C is loaded on thepallet P and the other pallet P is vertically stacked on the pallet P,then the mount sections 2 are stored in the lower open spaces 5 and themount base materials 17 of the mount sections 2 are fitted between thepaired auxiliary base materials 16, respectively, whereby the upper andlower pallets P are positioned relative to each other while themovements thereof are restricted by each other. In this embodiment, theauxiliary base materials 16, the mount section 2 and the like whichconstitute the pallet P, may be said to constitute “a stack supportsection” according to the present invention.

The mount section 2 is in rectangular parallelopiped form and four mountsections 2 are circumferentially arranged on the upper surface of thepallet main body 1 at intervals of 90 degrees. Three square pipe-likemount base materials 17 are provided on the upper surface of a supportbase material 15 (see FIG. 90) among the predetermined frame basematerial 13 and the leg base materials 14 a and 14 b, and a thinplate-like rubber plate material 18 is fixed onto the upper surfaces ofthese mount base materials 17. The axial end face of the carryingarticle C is mounted and supported on the upper surfaces of the rubberplate materials 18 of the respective mount sections 2. Further, as shownin FIG. 93, the mount base materials 17 are formed into square pipes andthe both ends of each mount base material 17 form a pair of bandinsertion holes 17 a for a band 9 which binds and fixes the carryingarticle. In addition, the internal space of each mount base material 17forms a band insertion path 17 b which couples the paired band insertionholes 17 a.

As shown in FIG. 93, stopper sections 7 a of a steel spacer member 7 arefreely engaged with and disengaged from each frame base material 13 ofthe abutment frame section 3. This spacer member 7 is employed if acarrying article C (e.g., carrying article C having a diameter of about140 mm) which slightly projects out from the plane shape of the pallet Pis loaded. The spacer member 7 prevents the peripheral surface of thislarge-diameter carrying article C from contacting with the inner wall ofthe container A or the carrying articles C loaded on the other palletsP.

(2) Function of Transporting Coiled Carrying Article Loading Palletsinto Container

Next, the function of transporting carrying article loading pallets Pinto the container A will be described with reference to FIGS. 95 to100. Before describing this function, the function of loading thecarrying article C on the pallet P will be described. As shown in FIG.95, carrying articles C to be transported among the many articles Cwhich are stored in a predetermined storage space such as a warehouse orthe like are transported close to an inverting machine 23 by theforklift F. At this moment, the carrying articles C are transported in astate in which pawls 8 are inserted into the hollow sections of therespective articles C and the articles C are put horizontally.

Next, as shown in FIG. 96, the inverting machine 23 attaches the palletP to a pallet support base 24 in a horizontal state appropriately by adamper or the like, and inverts this pallet support base 24 togetherwith the pallet P by 90 degrees to put the pallet P vertically.Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 97, the carrying article C is puthorizontally on the horizontal transport support base 25 by the forkliftF, the crane or the like to put the axial end face of this carryingarticle C on the mount section of the pallet P. As shown in FIG. 98, theinverting machine 23 oppositely inverts the transport support base 25together with the carrying articles C by 90 degrees to thereby mount thecarrying article C on the pallet P vertically with the axial directionof the article C oriented vertically. In this state, the band 9 isinserted into each band insertion path 17 b through the paired bandinsertion holes 17 a, the both ends of the band 9 are bound togetherthrough the hollow section of the carrying article C and the carryingarticle C and the pallet P are thereby fixedly, integrally bound (seeFIG. 93). By repeating this operation a predetermined number of times(twelve times), twelve carrying article loading pallets P on which thecarrying articles C are loaded, respectively, are prepared.

Next, as shown in FIG. 99, the carrying article loading pallet P whichis temporarily mounted is transported close to the container A by theforklift F. At this moment, the pawls 8 are inserted into the lower openspace 5 of the pallet P and the carrying article C is transported whilebeing kept vertically. As shown in FIG. 100, the forklift F goes intothe container A through a slope 31 and a stage 32, the carrying articleloading pallets P are sequentially transported into the container A fromthe deep side thereof and the twelve carrying article loading pallets Pare eventually contained in the container A. Thereafter, this containerA is transported by land with a container truck or the like or by seawith a container ship or the like.

A process for sending the carrying articles C in the container A andtransporting the articles C toward a destination has been described sofar in detail. An operation for taking out the carrying articles whichhave been transported to the destination from the container A can behandled by adopting opposite procedures to those of the above-statedsending-in operation.

Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 101, while the carrying article loadingpallets P are contained in the container A, each pallet P is positionedso that the frame base materials of the abutment frame section 3 of eachpallet P abut on the inner walls (sidewalls or longitudinal walls) ofthe container A and also on the other pallets P. The carrying articles Cloaded on these pallets P, respectively, are arranged in a zigzagfashion so that the adjacent carrying articles are overlapped inlongitudinal and lateral directions.

A carrying article C′ which is loaded on a pallet P′ is a large-diametercarrying article C′ which projects out from the plane of the pallet P′.Three spacer members 7 are attached to this pallet P′ and the pallet P′abuts on the inner wall of the container A and the other pallets Pthrough these spacer members 7. If no spacer members 7 are employed, thecontainer A is designed to generate a clearance of about 500 mm on theopening side 33 of the container A and a spacer member 40 isappropriately fitted into this clearance.

(3) Advantages of Embodiment

As described above, in this embodiment, the pallet P on which the coiledcarrying article C is loaded can be easily transported into the drycontainer A which has the opening section 33 only on the rear end sidethereof, by the forklift F. It is, therefore, possible to realizecontainer transport for the coiled carrying article C, to protect thecarrying article C by the container A, to shorten loading time andtransport period, to save storage spaces before and after the transport(actual location and destination), and to facilitate inventorymanagement and the like.

Further, in this embodiment, the carrying article C is transported intothe container A using the pallet P. It is, therefore, possible toprevent the pawls 8 of the forklift F from directly contacting with thecarrying article C and to prevent the carrying article C from beingdamaged as much as possible, compared with the conventional transportsystem of directly transporting the carrying article by the forklift. Inaddition, the plane shape of the abutment frame section 3 of the palletP is set to have a larger region than the axial end face of the coiledcarrying article C. Due to this, even if an operator erroneouslyoperates the transport of the carrying article C, the abutment framesection 3 abuts on the inner wall and floor face of the container A,making it possible to prevent the carrying article C from being directlystruck against the inner wall and floor face of the container A and tothereby prevent the carrying articles C from being damaged as much aspossible. Besides, it is possible to ensure transporting all thecarrying articles to be transported into the container A and to therebydeliberately execute the transport of the carrying articles C into thecontainer A.

Moreover, in this embodiment, the carrying articles C contained into thecontainer A are mounted on the floor face of the container A with theaxial direction set vertically and the outer peripheral sides of thearticles C are out of contact with the inner wall of the container A andthe carrying articles C on the other pallets P. Therefore, it ispossible to dispense with a laborious operation for, for example,strictly packaging the entire carrying articles C by a vinyl sheet orthe like.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the carrying articles C contained inthe container A are mounted on the floor face of the container A withthe axial direction thereof set vertically and adjacent articles among apredetermined number of (twelve) carrying articles C loaded on therespective pallets are arranged in a zigzag fashion to be overlapped inlongitudinal and lateral directions. Due to this, compared with theconventional system of containing the coiled carrying articles C withthe axial direction thereof set horizontally, it is possible to greatlyimprove efficiency for loading the carrying articles C into thecontainer A. In particular, even if the diameter D of each coiledcarrying article C is larger than half the width W of the container A,it is possible to improve loading efficiency.

Further, in this embodiment, the coiled carrying articles C aretransported into the container A using the respective pallets P. It is,therefore, possible to conduct operations for fixing and detaching thecarrying articles C to and from the pallets P outside of the containerA. Compared with a conventional system which requires a complicatedoperation for fixing the carrying articles in a narrow container, it ispossible to carry out the transport operation for transporting thecarrying articles C easily in short time. Further, in this embodiment,the abutment frame sections 3 of the adjacent pallets P abut on eachother, so that the movements of a predetermined number of (twelve)pallets P which are contained in the container A are restricted and thepallets are positioned to such an extent that the articles are notpoorly loaded. It is, therefore, possible to dispense with operationsfor fixing and detaching the pallets P to and from the container A andto thereby simply carry out the transport operation for transporting thecarrying articles C in short time.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, a plurality of pallets P can bevertically stacked while the mount sections 2 are stored in the loweropen spaces 5 of the respective pallets 2. It is, therefore, possible tostack many empty pallets P and send back the pallets compactly aftertransporting the carrying articles and to save a storage space for theempty pallets P. Besides, in this embodiment, since the upper surface ofeach mount section 2 is constituted out of the rubber plate material 18,it is possible to prevent the axial end faces of the coiled carryingarticles C which are mounted on the mount sections 2, from being damagedas much as possible. In addition, since a pair of band insertion holes17 a and the band insertion path 17 b are provided in the mount section2, it is possible to integrally fix the coiled carrying articles C tothe respective pallets P by the band 9 more strongly, thereby making itpossible to easily carry out a fixing operation in short time.

Further, in this embodiment, a case in which the diameter D of thecoiled carrying article C is slightly larger than half the width W ofthe container A and in which a manner of efficiently containing thecarrying articles C into the container A (arranging the articles in tworows in a zigzag fashion) has been exemplified. However, the presentinvention is not limited to this case. For example, if the diameter ofeach coiled carrying article is slightly larger than a third of thewidth of the container, the coiled carrying articles may be arranged inthree rows in a zigzag fashion in the container.

In this embodiment, a case of employing the pallets P equal in size andshape has been described. However, the pallets are not limited thereto.A combination of a plurality of types of pallets having different sizesand shapes may be employed. In that case, it is possible to increase thenumber of thin coiled carrying articles to be loaded into the container.It is possible to load even thick coiled carrying articles withoutprojecting out from the pallets. Thus, it is possible to efficientlyload the articles into the container using appropriate pallets accordingto coil size.

As a modification, not the coiled carrying articles but non-coiled,i.e., cylindrical carrying articles, columnar carrying articles or thelike which consist of single formed products may be used. It is alsopossible to employ one rod-like carrying article, a carrying articleassembly obtained by binding rod materials and the like. The shapes ofthe mount sections of the pallets which are employed for these cases maybe selected arbitrarily as long as the carrying articles to be used canbe loaded on the pallets.

[Other Pallets]

Examples of pallets other than the pallets described above include apallet which includes a carrier loading carried articles and carryingmeans provided at this carrier. In this case, examples of the carryingmeans include an exhaust nozzle which emits a gas toward a floor surfaceat a predetermined pressure, rollers which can rise and sink related tothe floor surface, and the like.

7. Cargo Distribution Management System in the Second Embodiment

The cargo distribution management system in the second embodiment is notlimited to the cargo distribution management system for handling theloaded cargo having the cargo loaded into the pallet in the firstembodiment as explained in Sections 1. to 5. above, but can be used as acargo distribution management system for handling the cargo by vanningthe cargo to the container without using the pallet.

As shown in FIG. 1, the cargo distribution management system in thesecond embodiment is constituted so that the server computer 1 and theterminals 7 are connected to the communication network 6.

The terminals 7 and the communication network 6 are equal inconfiguration to those of the cargo distribution management systemexplained in Sections 1. to 5. In addition, the identificationinformation storage medium 54 is equal in configuration to that of thecargo distribution management system explained in Sections 1. to 5.However, information on a pallet such as a pallet number is arbitrarilyset and may be either included or not included in the medium 54. Themedium 54 is provided in one of or both of the cargo group 51 and thecontainer 52.

As shown in FIG. 102, a cargo distribution management system programexecuted by the server computer 1 of the cargo distribution managementsystem in the second embodiment includes a storage means 102, adistribution status instruct means 103, a distribution status outputmeans 104, a procedural document creation means 107, a container packinginformation generation means 108, a stock calculation means 109, a stockplanning means 110, a distribution period calculation means 112, atransport scheduling means 123, and a reference information transmissionmeans 113.

Similarly to the cargo distribution management system for handling theloaded cargo having the cargo group loaded into the pallet as explainedin Section 1. to 5. above, the cargo distribution management system inthe second embodiment individually allocates identification informationto each cargo group so as to be able to grasp a distribution position ofthe cargo group. Therefore, it is possible to acquire information forappropriate distribution management. Further, the shipping schedule isplanned so that the stock volume by which the cargo group 51 is storedon the consignee side can fall within a certain range. Therefore, it ispossible to determine the shipping date of the cargo group 51.

8. Other Embodiments

The present invention is not limited to the above-stated concreteembodiments but can include embodiments variously changed and modifiedwithin the scope of the invention according to objects and purposes.

As shown in FIG. 47, the cargo distribution management system in theembodiments handles heavy articles such as steel plates as cargoes.However, the articles handled by the system are not limited thereto butthe system can handle general cargoes.

The embodiments illustrate a case including marine transport. However,the present invention is not limited to this case. As shown in FIG. 16,the present invention can also realize ground transport using acontainer truck, a freight train or the like and air transport using acargo plane. Further, a plurality of transport paths can be used. If thecontainer yards are unnecessary, the cargo distribution managementsystem which does not include the container yards can be constituted.

As shown in FIG. 17, the cargo distribution management system caninclude pallet manufacturing means 4 in or independent of each of thedistribution points 2. This pallet manufacturing means 4 is a means formanufacturing pallets 55 in response to an instruction from the palletsupply means 106 if the pallet supply means 106 determines that emptypallets 552 are in short supply. The manufactured pallets 55 aretransported to the distribution point 2 indicated by the pallet supplymeans 106.

The cargo distribution management system including such palletmanufacturing means 4 can manufacture and supply pallets 55 if thepallets 55 are in short supply. Therefore, the cargo distributionmanagement system can prevent a distribution delay caused by theinsufficient supply of pallets 55.

As shown in FIG. 18, the cargo distribution management system caninclude pallet fee charging means 124 in the server computer 1. Thepallet fee charging means 124 is means for calculating a pallet feebased on the history of the pallet 55 stored in the pallet informationstorage means 121 and charging a party which uses the pallet 55 for thefee.

The pallet fee is calculated based on an arbitrarily set chargingsystem. For example, the pallet fee charging means 124 can calculate afee proportional to the number of times of the use of the pallet 55 in apredetermined period and charge the consignee for the calculated fee.

The cargo distribution management system including such pallet feecharging means 124 can easily charge a fee of the use of the cargodistribution management system.

1. A cargo distribution management system for allowing a server computer1 to manage a cargo group 51, which is one of or both of a loaded cargo53 which is a pallet 55 loaded with a cargo 531 and the pallet 55unloaded with the cargo 531 and contains into a container 52, anddistributing the cargo group 51 between distribution points 2 includinga consignor 21, a vanning center 22, a devanning center 25, and aconsignee 26, wherein each of the distribution points 2 comprises aterminal 7, the terminal 7 comprising a distribution status transmissionmeans 101 for transmitting distribution status information including atleast identification information for individually identifying the cargogroup 51 and position information on the distribution point 2, to theserver computer 1 and the server computer 1 comprises: a storage means102 that constitutes a database storing the identification informationand the distribution status information; a distribution status instructmeans 103 for instructing the storage means 102 to store the receivedidentification information and the distribution status information, andthereby instructing the storage means 102 to update the distributionstatus information stored in the storage means 102; and a distributionstatus output means 104 for outputting a result obtained by processingthe distribution status information stored in the storage means
 102. 2.The cargo distribution management system according to claim 1, whereinsaid identification information further includes container packinginformation which includes at least a volume and a containing positionof said cargo group 51 in said container 52, said server computer 1further comprises a container packing information generation means 108for generating the container packing information so that a gross weightand a position of a center of gravity of the container 52 which containsthe cargo group 51 fall within respective predetermined ranged, and saidone of or both of said loaded cargo 53 and said container 52 comprise anidentification information storage medium 54 which stores saididentification information.
 3. The cargo distribution management systemaccording to claim 2, wherein said identification information storagemedium 54 is a two-dimensional barcode.
 4. The cargo distributionmanagement system according to claim 2, wherein said server computer 1further comprises a procedural document creation means 107 for creatinga procedural document necessary for distribution based on saiddistribution status information stored in said storage means
 102. 5. Thecargo distribution management system according to claim 2, wherein saidserver computer 1 further comprises: a distribution period calculationmeans 112 for calculating a distribution period of said cargo group 51between said distribution points 2; a stock calculation means 109 forcalculating stock information of said cargo 531 based on saiddistribution status information stored in said storage means 102, andfor outputting the calculated stock information; and a stock planningmeans 110 for creating a plan of supplying the cargo 531 to theconsignee 26 based on the stock information obtained by the stockcalculation means 109 and said distribution period obtained by saiddistribution period calculation means 112 so that a stock quantity ofsaid consignee 26 becomes constant, and wherein said distribution periodcalculation means obtains a distribution processing period for eachpredetermined distribution processing element, and calculates a sum ofdistribution processing periods as the distribution period.
 6. The cargodistribution management system according to claim 2, wherein said servercomputer 1 further comprises a reference information transmission means113 for transmitting one of or both of said distribution statusinformation stored in said storage means 102 and an output result of thedistribution status output means 104 to a reference terminal 7 connectedto a communication network 6 in accordance with a reference requestsignal transmitted from the reference terminal 7, and said referenceinformation transmission means 113 determines a reference right of saidreference terminal, and restricting a range in which said distributionstatus information can be referred to in accordance with a result of thedetermination.
 7. The cargo distribution management system according toclaim 2, wherein said server computer 1 further comprises: a palletinformation storage means 121 for storing pallet information including ause history and a present position of said pallet 55; a palletinformation update means 122 for updating the pallet information storedin the pallet information storage means 121 based on said distributionstatus information output from said distribution status output means104; and a pallet supply means 106 for issuing an instruction to supplyan empty pallet 552 that is said pallet 55 which is unloaded from one ofsaid distribution points 2 which has the empty pallet 552 to one of thedistribution points 2 which needs the empty pallet 552 while referringto said pallet information stored in said pallet information storagemeans
 121. 8. The cargo distribution management system according toclaim 2, comprising a pallet use fee charging means 124 for calculatingand charging a use fee for using said pallet 55 based on saiddistribution status information output from said distribution statusoutput means
 104. 9. The cargo distribution management system accordingto claim 2, wherein said identification information storage medium 54includes cargo details information of said loaded cargo
 531. 10. Thecargo distribution management system according to any one of claims 3 to9, wherein a transport path of said cargo includes a container shiptransport path.
 11. The cargo distribution management system accordingto claim 10, wherein said cargo is a heavy article.
 12. A consignor-sidecargo distribution management system used for allowing a server computer1 to manage a cargo group 51, which is one of or both of a loaded cargo53 which is a pallet 55 loaded with cargo 531 and the pallet 55 unloadedwith the cargo 531 and contains into a container 52, and distributingthe cargo group 51 between distribution points 2 including a consignor21, a vanning center 22, a devanning center 25 of an export destination,and a consignee 26, wherein the server computer 1 comprises: a storagemeans 102 constituting a database, for storing identificationinformation for individually identifying the cargo group 51 anddistribution status information including at least position informationon the distribution points 2; a distribution status instruct means 103for instructing the storage means 102 to store the receivedidentification information and the distribution status information, andthereby instructing the storage means 102 to update the distributionstatus information stored in the storage means 102; and a distributionstatus output means 104 for outputting a result obtained by processingthe distribution status information stored in the storage means
 102. 13.A consignee-side cargo distribution management system used for allowinga server computer 1 to manage a cargo group 51, which is one of or bothof a loaded cargo 53 which is a pallet 55 loaded with cargo 531 and thepallet 55 unloaded with the cargo 531 and contains into a container 52,and distributing the cargo group 51 between distribution points 2including a devanning center 25, a consignee 26, and a consignor 21which imports the cargo to the consignee 26, and a vanning center 22,wherein the server computer 1 comprises: a storage means 102constituting a database, for storing identification information forindividually identifying the cargo group 51 and distribution statusinformation including at least position information on the distributionpoints 2; a distribution status instruct means 103 for instructing thestorage means 102 to store the received identification information andthe distribution status information, and thereby instructing the storagemeans 102 to update the distribution status information stored in thestorage means 102; and a distribution status output means 104 foroutputting a result obtained by processing the distribution statusinformation stored in the storage means
 102. 14. A pallet managementsystem for allowing a server computer 1 to manage a pallet 55 used todistribute a cargo 531 between distribution points 2 including aconsignor 21 and a consignee 26, wherein said server computer 1comprises: a pallet information storage means 121 for storing palletinformation including a use history and a present position of the pallet55; a pallet information update means 122 for updating the palletinformation stored in the pallet information storage means 121; a palletsupply means 106 for issuing an instruction to supply an empty pallet552 that is said pallet 55 which is unused and which is unloaded withthe cargo 531 from one of said distribution points 2 which has the emptypallet 552 to one of the distribution points 2 which needs the pallet552 while referring to said pallet information stored in said palletinformation storage means 121; and a pallet use fee charging means 124for calculating and charging a use fee for using said pallet 552 basedon said pallet information stored in said pallet information storagemeans
 121. 15. A computer readable recording medium storing a programfor allowing a computer to operate as the cargo distribution managementsystem according to any one of claims 1, 12 and
 13. 16. A computerreadable recording medium storing a program for allowing a computer tooperate as the pallet management system according to claim
 14. 17. Aprogram for allowing a computer to operate as the cargo distributionmanagement system according to any one of claims 1, 12, and
 13. 18. Aprogram for allowing a computer to operate as the cargo distributionmanagement system according to claim
 14. 19. A cargo distributionmanagement system for allowing a server computer 1 to manage a cargogroup 51 including the cargo 531 and contains into a container 52, anddistributing the cargo group 51 between distribution points 2 includinga consignor 21, a vanning center 22, a devanning center 25, and aconsignee 26, wherein each of the distribution points 2 comprises aterminal 7, the terminal 7 comprising a distribution status transmissionmeans 101 for transmitting distribution status information including atleast identification information for individually identifying the cargogroup 51 and position information on the distribution point 2, to theserver computer 1 and the server computer 1 comprises: a storage means102 that constitutes a database storing the identification informationand the distribution status information; a distribution status instructmeans 103 for instructing the storage means 102 to store the receivedidentification information and the distribution status information, andthereby instructing the storage means 102 to update the distributionstatus information stored in the storage means 102; a distributionstatus output means 104 for outputting a result obtained by processingthe distribution status information stored in the storage means 102; anda distribution period calculation means 112 for calculating adistribution period of said cargo group 51 between said distributionpoints 2, and wherein said distribution period calculation means obtainsa distribution processing period for each predetermined distributionprocessing element, and calculates a sum of distribution processingperiods as the distribution period.
 20. The cargo distributionmanagement system according to claim 19, wherein said server computer 1further comprises: a stock calculation means 109 for calculating stockinformation of said cargo 531 based on said distribution statusinformation stored in said storage means 102, and for outputting thecalculated stock information; and a stock planning means 110 forcreating a plan of supplying the cargo 531 to the consignee 26 based onthe stock information obtained by the stock calculation means 109 andsaid distribution period obtained by said distribution periodcalculation means 112 so that a stock quantity of said consignee 26becomes constant.
 21. A consignor-side cargo distribution managementsystem used for allowing a server computer 1 to manage a cargo group 51including cargo 531 and contains into a container 52, and distributingthe cargo group 51 between distribution points 2 including a consignor21, a vanning center 22, a devanning center 25 of an export destination,and a consignee 26, wherein the server computer 1 comprises: a storagemeans 102 constituting a database, for storing identificationinformation for individually identifying the cargo group 51 anddistribution status information including at least position informationon the distribution points 2; a distribution status instruct means 103for instructing the storage means 102 to store the receivedidentification information and the distribution status information, andthereby instructing the storage means 102 to update the distributionstatus information stored in the storage means 102; a distributionstatus output means 104 for outputting a result obtained by processingthe distribution status information stored in the storage means 102; anda distribution period calculation means 112 for calculating adistribution period of said cargo group 51 between said distributionpoints
 2. 22. A consignee-side cargo distribution management system forallowing a server computer 1 to manage a cargo group 51 including thecargo 531 and contains into a container 52, and distributing the cargogroup 51 between distribution points 2 including a devanning center 25,a consignee 26, and a consignor 21 which imports the cargo to theconsignee 26, and a vanning center 22, wherein the server computer 1comprises: a storage means 102 constituting a database, for storingidentification information for individually identifying the cargo group51 and distribution status information including at least positioninformation on the distribution points 2; a distribution status instructmeans 103 for instructing the storage means 102 to store the receivedidentification information and the distribution status information, andthereby instructing the storage means 102 to update the distributionstatus information stored in the storage means 102; a distributionstatus output means 104 for outputting a result obtained by processingthe distribution status information stored in the storage means 102; anda distribution period calculation means 112 for calculating adistribution period of said cargo group 51 between said distributionpoints
 2. 23. A computer readable recording medium storing a program forallowing a computer to operate as the cargo distribution managementsystem according to any one of claims 19, 21 and
 22. 24. A program forallowing a computer to operate as the cargo distribution managementsystem according to any one of claims 19, 21, and 22.